Into the Madness
by Kuragari1024
Summary: The third installment in the "One Crazy Life" series. Finally, everything comes together.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**This is the third installment of my "One Crazy Life" series. Finally, we get some new Kurai action!**

Chapter 1

"Are we there yet?" Taki asked, looking over Kurai's shoulder.

"No." Kurai said.

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"For pauk's sake; shut up, Taki!" Ko said, holding his head.

The two humans and one Yautja had been traveling for three days in Kurai's ship, the _Unrelenting_. They had set out for Pluvia after learning that a mysterious someone knew of their involvement with a pair of Xenomorphs; a Praetorian named Makoto, and a young Queen named Shisome.

They were on their way to a planet called Pluvia, where they had left the Xenomorphs to begin a new hive a couple of months ago. Since then, Kurai Blackwood and Taki Mura had been accepted into the Yautja clan, the Silver Crescent. They'd gained their places among the warriors, despite some opposition. They'd gained a few friends, and a couple of enemies along the way. Everything was going fine, until someone had left Kurai a message indicating that the person knew that she'd set the Xenomorphs free. She had sent another message to her grandfather, Hoshi Yamamoto, telling him briefly of the events that had transpired, and he had responded by telling her to get to Pluvia as soon as she could; and that they had a great deal to discuss.

So it was that they were on the ship now. There had been little in the way of events since they had set out; except for Taki apparently trying to drive Ko insane. They spent their days training in the ship's kehrite, or watching old 21st century movies.

"Leave him alone, Taki." Kurai said.

"Okays." he replied, then turned his attention to his data pad, where he began to watch an old anime.

"How much longer are we going to be on this ship? I'm going crazy!" Ko said. He'd already polished his armor four times, checked the systems on his armor's bio-helmet six tiimes, and made sure his medi-kit was in order ten times. Long story short; Ko was bored.

"Two days; then we'll be on Pluvia." Kurai said, for the fourth time that day. She could understand why Ko was so restless; his species were hunters, they didn't like being cooped up in small spaces for long periods of time. At least on the Silver Crescent's clan ship he could train with other males, or look at other trophies. Kurai couldn't understand how Makoto and Shisome had endured being in those tiny cages for so long.

"Only two days?" Taki said, looking up from his anime.

"Two whole days?" Ko asked, then groaned in frustration.

"Yeah; sorry, but I can't fly this ship any faster; at least not safely…not with my inexperience." Kurai answered. The ship could go much faster; but Kurai wasn't going to risk all their lives. She'd need some more piloting instructions before she could take the ship out at top speed.

"Do you think Hoshi's there yet?" Taki asked.

"I doubt it; I left him a message the day after we left, so he should be there the same day we are." Kurai answered.

"And he told you to go to Pluvia?" Ko asked, looking out at the emptiness of space.

"Yeah; he said that some weirdness was going down over there and that we needed to get there ASAP. He said he'd fill us in when we met up at the hive." the human woman explained.

"I'm just glad Yeyinde didn't ask any questions when we left." Taki said, going back to his anime.

"That was the arrangement I made with him when I won this ship; no questions, no one following us."

"Thank Paya! Can you imagine what would happen if someone was following us?" Ko said, examining his combi-stick again.

_Meanwhile…_

"Where the pauk are you leading us, Ooman?" Aru sneered, watching the one named Kurai's ship on the monitors.

"Who says she's leading us anywhere?" the other male, named Oriki asked. He'd been on a small ship with Aru for the past three days, and was getting a little nervous about his comrade.

"She took off quite quickly after learning how to fly her ship, yes?"

"Perhaps she's just eager to go out hunting?" Oriki suggested. He'd done the same thing when he'd first gotten his ship.

"I had that thought as well; but she's passed up a great deal of planets with excellent hunting. Her onboard computer would tell her of any notable species on those worlds. No; she's going somewhere." Aru concluded, watching the human's ship more closely.

"What are you going to do if–sorry, when–you find out what she's up to?"

"Well, I can't just kill her; I'll be thought of as a Bad Blood… I'll drag her and back to the Silver Crescent and let the clan know of her misdeeds. Once she's been dealt with, I'll begin weeding out the traitors within the clan."

"How will you do that? Elder Yeyinde, Ne'Renh, Kantra…they're all really high-ranking males. You can't go and kill them just like that!" Oriki rationalized. He'd known Aru for years, and knew that he had a strong dislike of Oomans; but he never thought that his hatred would take him down such a dark path. He'd already gotten hold of some Bad Blood tech; what other measures would he resort to in order to keep up his idea of what a clan should be? He was now talking about getting rid of some top-ranking hunters; and Oriki knew that Aru had both resources and the determination to follow through with his plan.

"Fool! I don't necessarily have to kill them! I'll just let the Arbitrators decide their fate. Why, letting Oomans into the clan, giving them a ship, allowing them to do…whatever it is they're doing now…they'll be lucky if they're not banished to one of our chiva planets!" Aru gave a Yautja smirk at this thought.

"And what are you going to do about all the other hunters who are friendly with the Oomans?" Oriki asked. He hoped that if he presented too many obstacles, Aru would give up his insane plan and return to the clan's ship. He was tired of sitting in this tiny ship. No matter what the Ooman was up to, it didn't concern him. He'd just as soon be back on the ship, training or talking about hunts he'd been on with the males in the mess hall…

"They're inconsequential. They'll not make trouble. It's the Elder, Ne'Renh and Kantra that I'm concerned with…at least for the moment." Aru replied.

"If you say so, Aru…" Oriki muttered.

"Just concentrate on following the Oomans!" Aru hissed. Oriki sighed, but did as he was told.

"_Keep leading me, Ooman… I'll find out what you're up to soon enough…"_ the hunter thought to himself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer-Don't own it.**

**Okay, here's the second chapter! I decided to add some semi-lemon for you, because of the long time you had to wait for this story to come out. Oh, please visit my profile and take my poll, and tell everyone that I'm back! I hope that a lot of you haven't given up on my stories! And PLEASE review! By the way, keep in mind that this is my first chapter like this, and I'm not good at writing stuff like this yet.**

Chapter 2

"Damn it hell!" Taki yelled.

"What's up?" Kurai asked. She had been busy steering the ship, although there was no need, as the autopilot on the Yautja ship was at least a thousand times better than anything humans could come up with in the near future.

"Oh, my anime left me hanging again… I swear; I love this show, but the cliffhangers are unbearable!" he responded, putting his data pad away.

"What's an anime? You've mentioned them before, but I wasn't really paying attention." Ko said.

"It's an animated show from Japan." Taki said, pulling his data pad out and showing Ko a preview of the next week's episode.

"And you spend your free time watching these?" the Yautja asked.

"Yeah." Taki replied.

"Some of them really kick ass, and some of them really suck ass!" Kurai called from her seat.

"Perhaps that is true; but your time could be better spent training."

"Probably…but anime is more entertaining." Taki said, brushing off Ko's lecture.

"Oomans…" the hunter said, shaking his head, the metal bands on his dreadlocks clinking softly as they hit each other.

"Anyway; we'll be there tomorrow, right?" Taki called up to Kurai, who had gone back to steering.

"Right; and we'll hopefully figure some of this shit out." the blonde youth said, leaning back in his seat for a nap.

They had left the ship on auto for the "night", and had resumed their previous week's routine of either sitting around or training. After a week's worth of this, they were all getting a little tired of being cooped up together, and were beginning to get on each other's nerves. Luckily, they had only one more night before they reached Pluvia.

Each of them couldn't help but wonder what would happen when they reached the planet. What would they do once they found out who had sent Kurai the message about the Xenos?

They went back to silence, with the occasional click or sigh. Kurai couldn't help but wonder how other people could spend days with each other on the road without wanting to open a vein.

At last, it was time to sleep. Taki said goodnight to Kurai and Ko, and went off to his room. Because of the hasty departure, they were all forced to sleep on a couple of blankets in the floor. This was okay for Kurai and Taki; since they were used to sleeping on the floor at Hoshi's house when they came to visit. Ko, on the other hand, had much to say. He wasn't thrilled by the prospect of revisiting his Unblooded and Young Blood status.

"Okay, I'm off to bed. Night, Ko." Kurai said, heading off to her room.

"Good night, Kurai." Ko replied, going off to his own room.

Kurai unlocked the door stepped into her unfurnished room. Though the wall slid up to allow a gorgeous view of space, the lack of chairs or a bed took a little out of the wonder of it. Walking over to the closet in the corner, she took out the black shorts and tank top that she slept in and went to the bathroom to bathe and get ready for bed.

After bathing and brushing her teeth, Kurai went over to the pallet on the floor and lay down.

"I'm tired…but I'm not tired…" she said out loud, after about twenty minutes.

"_So…what do I do now?"_ she thought after another thirty minutes of trying to force herself to go to sleep.

"_Ooh! I'll go see if Taki's up! Maybe he'll want to play cards or something…"_ she thought, getting up and putting on her long black robe.

Walking quietly down the hall, she knocked on Taki's door. After a couple of minutes of silence from within, she knocked again. A couple of minutes passed, and nothing.

"Guess he's asleep… What do I do now?" she grumbled to herself.

"_Wait; maybe Ko's up? I could teach him cards…"_ Kurai thought, as she was almost to her own door again.

Turning, she walked to Ko's door, where she knocked on the door, hoping for a response, but not holding her breath.

"Enter." Ko said, after a minute.

The door opened, and Kurai went inside.

She found Ko in the corner of the room, running yet another check on his bio systems. Kurai found herself thinking that it would be a huge cosmic bitchslap if there was a malfunction in that equipment after the dozen or so times the Yautja had checked it over the past few days.

"Kurai! I was expecting Taki… He mentioned something about showing me something called–what was it again–hentei–later on…" Ko said, but didn't look disappointed.

"Believe me, Ko…you're better off." the human replied, smirking.

"I came because I wanted to see if you wanted to learn to play cards." she said a moment later.

"Why so late? Couldn't sleep?" he asked, smirking.

"No… I guess I'm just thinking too much. I can see that you couldn't sleep either."

"I've been thinking a lot too. There's going to be a battle soon…I can feel it. I know that I should be getting all the sleep I can...but I'm just so damn anxious."

"I know how you feel… I just wonder what's going to happen. We could end up chasing the person who sent me that message… This is some serious stuff, Ko." Kurai said, going over to sit cross-legged on Ko's pallet; it being softer than the cold floor.

"My question is; if we do find out who it was, what will we do?" the Yautja asked, putting his helmet aside and coming over to join her on the pallet.

"I guess we'll go after them. Whoever this person is, they know too much. That footage was confiscated by a Midnight… There's no way that any common thief could have gotten it." Kurai said, lying back.

"So…that means that either they were a very good thief…or that…" Ko stopped.

"That what?" Kurai asked, looking up at the hunter.

"Or that the footage was stolen by someone within the Shadows." he finished.

"There's just no way that that's possible." Kurai said, but Ko could tell that the human wasn't so sure.

"Then how would you explain it? The fact is; someone knows that you freed Makoto and Shisome… Now, what their intentions are, I can only guess at, but it seems to me that they went to a great deal of trouble to get the footage and send it to you. We're dealing with a dedicated individual here…one who has some resources of their own."

"Let's just talk about something else for a while, okay?" Kurai suggested. The thought of someone inside the Shadows turning traitor was…unsettling, to say the least.

"Good idea. So, what's this game that you wanted to show me?"

"Oh, yeah…I wanted to show you how to play cards… Crap! I forgot something…" she said, sitting up suddenly.

"What's that?" Ko asked, looking over at her with his head tilted to one side.

"Cards…" she said sheepishly.

"So, I suppose that we're missing a fairly crucial component here?"

"Pretty much… What now? I don't want to go back to my room…" Kurai said, lying back in frustration.

"Oh, I was looking on my data pad, and I saw a move I wanted to try out. Apparently, it's good for taking down an unarmed opponent. Would you like to help me with it?" Ko asked, glancing over at the human.

*******

"_Crap…"_ Kurai thought. The idea of close contact with Ko…with her wearing only a tank top and shorts…it was…was…not that bad. She was shocked to discover that she actually liked the idea of being so close to Ko…

"_I'm just gonna play it cool; act like I'm not thinking of anything like that. Let's just see where this goes…"_ she thought.

*******

He couldn't help but notice how her robe clung to her when she was lying down… The front had opened slightly, revealing Kurai's sleeping attire, which had been pulled down low by her position on the floor. A soft rumble started in his throat as he noticed the subtle curves of her body.

"Okay; let me take this off…" she said, standing and removing her robe. Ko stifled a groan as the robe slid from her shoulders and fell to the ground. He began to think that maybe being in close contact with her right now might not be a good idea…

"Okay; show me what you've got!" Kurai said, standing a little way away. She'd obviously been thinking of training when he'd been thinking of…other things.

Rising, Ko went over and stood in front of the human.

"All right, I'm not going to take a run at you or anything; I'm just going to show you the basic motions of this move. What you're going to need to do is stand right in front of me, and act like you're gong to attack me…"

Kurai followed Kurai's instructions, and Ko got into a crouching position.

"Now…act like you're going to come toward me…"

Kurai did, and Ko reached out and caught her around the waist and lifted her over his shoulder.

"At this point, I'd slam you to the ground and be free to kill you… Apparently, if this is done right, you're not supposed to be able to react before I finish the move." the hunter said, putting her down. As he was lowering her to the floor, she lost her footing and ended up with her face in his chest, and his hand around her waist.

***

Kurai allowed Ko to finish his demonstration, and decided that it was as good a time as any to make her move. As he lowered her to the ground, she "tripped" and ended up leaning against his chest. He tried to stop her from falling, which ended with his hand around her waist. She hadn't expected that.

"Sorry…" she said, feeling shyer than she actually was. She'd never initiated anything with the few guys that she'd dated; it was always them doing stuff like this.

"It's all right…" Ko replied softly.

The two of them looked at each other for a moment, neither one knowing what to say.

"_Good a time as any!"_ Kurai thought, relishing the opportunity to be impulsive.

Standing on her toes, she reached up and pulled the stunned Yautja into a kiss.

*******

Ko was not a little surprised when Kurai suddenly lunged forward and kissed him. Yautja females were the more aggressive sex, and when it came to the actual mating, were known for their taking charge of matters. It was for this reason that Ko didn't feel put off by the human's assertiveness. It took a moment, but he regained his composure and began to kiss her back.

*******

"This is going well…" Kurai thought, as Ko began to return her kiss. His mandibles spread, covering her cheeks in a strange embrace. She began to become accustomed to Ko's alien mouth, but was ill-prepared when she suddenly felt his tongue intrude into hers. For a second, she felt a pang of revulsion, but it faded as quickly as it had come, and she returned the gesture, making the large male rumble loudly.

After a while, the human's back began to ache from the strain of stretching to kiss him. Ko seemed to sense this, for he actually picked her up–without breaking the kiss–and took her over to his pallet, where he sank to the floor...with her on his lap.

Soon, he pulled away from her mouth and began to lightly nibble her neck and shoulders. Kurai couldn't help but let out a moan when the Yautja began tickling her sensitive neck with his mandibles.

Reaching up, she buried her hand in his dreads, which seemed to drive him over the edge, for he suddenly flipped her over onto her back, with him on top, still paying attention to her neck.

"_God this feels good…"_ she thought, somewhat shocked at the revelation. She'd never gone anywhere near this far with a man…she'd never wanted to…they always seemed to go from wanting a kiss to a full-on screw session. Ko was different somehow…he didn't make the demands that were so common among Earth men… He'd never made a fool of himself by begging, he'd never used stupid excuses as to why they should fool around, and he didn't threaten to leave her if she didn't comply with his libido.

Maybe it was because he knew she would hurt him if he went too far, maybe it was because females of his species were to be respected and feared…maybe it was just because he was a nice guy… whatever made him keep it in his loincloth, Kurai was grateful for it.

Finally, Ko apparently decided to try and take it little further, for he reached down and began running his hand up and down her body. Kurai stifled a moan as she felt one of Ko's huge hands on her breast. She was taken aback by the contact, and pulled away slightly.

*******

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to be so forward…" he apologized, taking his hand away immediately and sitting up. He expected to be slapped, or at least reprimanded, for overstepping his boundaries. He shouldn't have presumed that she'd enjoy being touched in such a way…at least not yet.

"It's all right; I just wasn't prepared, that's all." she said, rising and leaning back on her hands.

"You're not angry?" he asked, cocking his head.

"No; if I was, you'd know it by now." she replied, smiling. Sitting up, she grabbed him by his dreadlocks and pulled him back down on top of her in another kiss.

He was used to the fact that females were the dominant ones, but this took him completely by surprise. Kurai's action hadn't hurt him, but it was the last thing that he expected.

Reaching down, he grabbed the human by the waist, and was again taken aback by her actions. She reached up, grabbed his hand, and put it back on her chest, giving him a sly smile as she did so. Ko didn't resist, though, and began to gently squeeze and rub the small mound.

Kurai responded well to this treatment, and, in a moment of either bravery or stupidity brought on by arousal, Ko reached down and began to lift Kurai's tank top over her head. It was about two seconds after he started that he realized just how foolish this idea had been. He'd be in for it now, for sure…

"Wait…let me…" the human said, and Ko leaned back to allow her freedom to move. All this time, he was aware of the sensation that his loincloth was getting tighter…

*******

Kurai enjoyed the feeling of Ko touching her so intimately, and was secretly hoping that he'd try to escalate things a little, so when he began trying to lift her tank top over her head, she decided to help him; if for no other reason than to avoid possibly having Ko tear her clothing in frustration.

Lifting the top, she was aware of the cooler air hitting her chest, and her body reflected the fact. Ko's eyes widened as he took in her nakedness, and Kurai suddenly became a little self-conscious. Not only were her breasts quite small, even for a human, but she still had a visible scar from the operation that had removed Shisome from her body. She then became aware that she was blushing for the first time in quite a while.

"Kurai…" Ko breathed.

"Look…if you've going comment on how small they are or something; don't bother…I've heard it all before! They're small because I'm always training, okay!" she said, taking the offensive.

"I wasn't going to say anything, Kurai…" Ko defended, sounding a little hurt. Kurai couldn't help but feel bad for scolding him before he'd actually said anything.

"Sorry…" she said quietly. By way of apology, leaned up and began kissing him again. The experience was different with her shirt off; she could feel Ko's warm, tough skin against her bare chest, and was aware of how sensitive her body was up there. This feeling intensified when Ko took one of her breasts in his hand again and began rubbing the tip of it, making her moan. Suddenly, she hit on an idea that surprised even her; an idea that made her shiver deliciously just thinking about it.

"Ko…lie back…" she instructed, and the Yautja did as he was told. Slowly, Kurai reached out and found the simple belt of the loincloth that Ko slept in. She was very aware that he was watching her intently and breathing hard. Somehow, she found that she couldn't get the knot out of the simple cloth belt.

Frustrated, she sat back, pouting. Her mind battled with itself; she had a strong desire to see what Ko's loincloth was hiding, but felt that perhaps she should interpret her inability to remove it as a sign to go back to her room…before they did something they might regret later.

Her mind was made up for her, however, when she heard a rustling sound. Shaken out of her thoughts, Kurai looked up to see Ko frantically fumbling with the garment's knot; desperately trying to free himself from it. A tiny part of Kurai's mind hoped that he would give up, or that something would happen to distract him; but she forced that part to go away as the hunter succeeded in his task and tossed the belt aside. Though she was a little embarrassed to admit it, she really wanted to see "it".

*******

Ko desperately tried to untie the knot of his sleeping cloth. The chance to be with Kurai physically–to whatever degree she'd allow–was enough to make Ko consider using one of his knives to actually cut the cloth off of him. He didn't have to resort to this, however, as the belt's knot finally came undone. The garment was now loose around his waist, and Kurai wasn't making any protests. He was reaching up to remove the fabric, when…

"Ko… It's Taki! Are you up? I have a question!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 3**

"Fuck!" Kurai said, reaching for her shirt.

Ko quickly tied the belt to his loincloth and sat up, as Kurai finished pulling her tank top over her head. He quickly crossed the distance between his pallet and where he had been fiddling with his armor. Kurai put on her robe and went to sit beside him and pretended to be examining one of the knives scattered about.

"Enter." Ko said, making sure there was no evidence of what they'd been doing…or about to do.

"Hey; I just came to ask you– Whoa…what're you doing in here, Kurai? You two weren't doing anything naughty, were you?" Taki asked, smirking.

"Hell no! Get your mind out of the gutter! I just came in here to ask if Ko wanted to play cards with me, Okay? Besides, Ko told me that you were going to show him hentei; so don't even start accusing people of naughtiness!" Kurai warned, shaking a finger at her friend.

"Looks like know about the hentei… Okay…I'm busted…I admit it…" he said, raising his hands in defeat.

"Look, I understand teaching Ko about humans and stuff…but cat women, yaoi, bondage and tentacle rape aren't good examples of human culture!" Kurai said.

"Tentacle _what_?" Ko said, looking up from his pretend systems check.

"Never mind, go back to your armor." Kurai said dismissively. Ko shrugged and did as he was told. The human man looked at Kurai and gave a "can I see you over here" look. Rolling her eyes, she got up and followed him to the bathroom.

"So, are you gonna tell me what the two of you were _really_ doing before I came in?" Taki asked, making sure the door was locked.

"What? We really _were_ playing cards!" Kurai replied defensively.

"Then how come I didn't see any lying out in the open? Believe me; I recognize that look of guilt! I've seen it on a lot of the people I go out with! Don't you remember what your mom told you?"

The thought of her mother made a pang of sadness rise up in her, and Taki seemed to sense this.

"Remember? You and I were sneaking cookies, and your mom caught us. We both had that same look on our faces, and your mom told us that if it's something we should feel guilty over, we shouldn't be doing it."

"Yeah, but we were kids stealing cookies; I'm an adult now, and I can fool around with anyone I want!" Kurai said, then covered her mouth.

"So you were! Was it good? Was it _huge_?"

"We didn't do it! We were just making out…at first… Then some other stuff happened…then you came in…"

"You know, Kurai…maybe we need to talk about some things…you know…sex safety…"

"Taki… First of all, I've read up on Yautja; they really don't have any sex diseases, and any they would have can't transmit to humans. Secondly, Ko and I are both virgins, so there's no way we've got anything."

"There's other stuff you can do to get diseases besides actual sex, Kurai. Remember that girl in our high school class? She was a virgin; but she came down with shit all the time!" Taki said, sounding preachy.

"But I've never done _anything_ with _anyone_! The only person I've even kissed before Ko was you…when we were twelve! And Ko hasn't done anything because in Yautja culture he's not considered desirable enough yet."

"What about pregnancy?" Taki asked, apparently clutching at straws.

"Are you cracked? For one, Yautja and humans can't breed! Also, you may have forgotten this, but I don't even _have_ a uterus anymore!"

"Oh, right…sorry. I'm just worried about you, is all." Taki said gently.

"I'm okay…Ko's different from Earth guys… He's sweet…and he knows that I'll castrate him if he goes too far… I've checked; females are allowed to do it in most places…"

"I'll have to keep that in mind…" Taki mumbled.

"So, we're okay here? I mean, you're not going to bring this up a lot, are you?" Kurai asked, giving her friend an earnest look.

"Of course not, Kurai. This is a really personal thing for you." he replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. Taki may have been goofy at times, but he really came through when it counted.

"Thanks, Taki."

"Just one thing; when I leave, are you two going to go back to doing _whatever_ you were or weren't doing when I came in?" he asked, smirking.

"I doubt it; the mood's dead."

"Once again…sorry…"

Kurai was going to reply, but a sudden knocking at the bathroom door stopped her.

"Are you two done in there?" Ko asked, a little whine in his voice.

"Yeah…just a minute…" Kurai said, unlocking the door. The two came out and were face-to-face with the Yautja, who was standing a little too close to the door to have just walked over to it. Somehow, Kurai got the suspicion that he was eavesdropping–or trying to, as the bathroom's metal door was almost two inches thick.

"Um, I think I should go back to my room now… Lots to do tomorrow…" Kurai said, smiling awkwardly and excusing herself.

*******

"Yes, and I believe that I should rest as well; if you'll excuse me, Taki." Ko said, beginning to show Taki to the door. The human however, would not be dismissed so easily.

"Just a second, Ko…I think we need to talk about what you and Kurai were up to." he said, stopping. Taki could be a force to be reckoned with when he wanted to be.

"We weren't doing anything; Kurai was showing me an Ooman game!" the Yautja defended quickly.

"Cut the crap." the human said, his voice hardening.

"Excuse me?" Ko said, taken aback by the human's sudden change. Taki had gone from goofy to dark in about two seconds flat.

"Look Ko, you're my friend…I like you, so I'm going to make this simple; bee good to Kurai, or else."

"Huh?" Ko sounded stunned.

"Kurai is, despite her outward appearance, rather delicate. She may kill me for telling you this, but she's a virgin, are you following me so far?"

"Kurai's a virgin…" Ko said, smiling a little. The thought of the two of them being each other's first made him purr a little.

"Yes, and unlike a lot of human females, she doesn't view sex–at least when it comes to her–as a particularly casual thing. Simply put, she's not going to just hand herself over to anyone. Now, I know that Yautja aren't generally monogamous, and I can accept that it's part of your species and culture…but I can't accept this little scenario playing in my head of you leaving right after you get what you want, savvy?"

"I'd never do that to Kurai. I care for a great deal." Ko defended, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Good; because if you hurt her in any way, I'll kill you. Now, if we can reach an understanding on that, we'll go back to being good friends and forget this ever happened. As I said, I like you, and I'd love to see you and Kurai be happy together. Both of you deserve a chance to have a life together, and I'm more than willing to help you make that happen. However, if you're thinking of just having your way with Kurai and leaving, you'd better think again."

"I'd never do that. You've got nothing to worry about, Taki." Ko said, marveling at the human's devotion to his friend.

"Good. Now that that's out of the way…have a good night!" the blonde human said cheerfully, walking to the door and giving a little wave as he exited.

"What the _pauk_?" Ko asked himself, locking the door and reminding himself not to make Taki angry with him. Going back to his bed, the male lay down and drifted off.

*******

"Damn!" Kurai swore, getting into her room. Things were taking a really nice turn with Ko, but that was also the problem… She went over to her bed, pulled off her robe, and sat on her bed to think further.

"_How far was I willing to go?"_ she thought, sitting on her bed and putting her chin on her hands. She'd just been about to rip his loincloth off and… She blushed to think about what she would have done to him.

Thinking back, she'd never done anything that even remotely came close to that…but it had felt so good being with Ko like that…

But if she had allowed him to take her, what then? What would then become of their friendship? She felt just like one of those girls in a _shōjo_ anime…analyzing every possible aspect of a relationship… Ko wasn't a jerk; he wouldn't get off and leave her… If that was all he wanted, he wouldn't have put up with all the crap that'd been going on so far if all he wanted was a good lay…

Kurai suddenly realized just how frustrated she'd been. She was twenty years old, and before now had only kissed a couple of guys–one of them being Taki, and only experimentally. There were other "options", but DIY got old after a few years… It had been nice to be with another person, and Ko was just as inexperienced as she was.

"The next time, there _won't_ be any interruptions…I'll make sure of it." Kurai said determinedly, lying down and pulling the covers over her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Okay, here's chapter 4! Seriously people; reviews are my life force! If no one's reading, why should I be writing? I know I've been gone a long time, but I'm back now and, barring an unfortunate accident or something, I'll be updating pretty regularly. Leave comments, please? Please, remember me!!! Oh, and visit my poll on my profile; the results will determine if I write a Makoto/Adelicia and/or a Kurai/Ko lemon in the future! I've already got a prototype written, and I'm just waiting for reviews and poll results to add it to a future chapter!**

Chapter 4

"_Time to get up, I guess…"_ Kurai thought sleepily, opening her eyes, albeit reluctantly.

"_Hey, that's right; we'll be landing on Pluvia today…" _she thought, with a sudden surge of excitement at seeing her Xeno friends again.

Yawning, she rose, made her pallet, and went to the bathroom to bathe and change. Kurai wasn't herself until she had a shower in the morning.

While bathing, she thought that, even with all the weirdness that was happening, it would be so good to see Makoto and Shisome, along with any kids Shisome had had. As she got dressed, she thought about also seeing her grandfather; it'd be good to see what had been going on back on Earth while she'd been gone.

Slipping into a pair of black jeans and a black shirt, she put on her socks and shoes, put her fan in its pouch on her belt, put her data pad in a pocket, and headed out the door to the kitchen for some breakfast.

Ko and Taki were already there, each gnawing on some sort of meat that resembled beef jerky. They looked up when she entered, each muttering a "good morning" before going back to their food. She could see that what had gone on last night was still fresh in the minds of the other two as well.

"Okay," she said, by way of breaking the silence, "we've got a big day today. We're going to be landing on Pluvia in about…two hours." she checked her data pad to make sure of the time.

"According to this, we'll need to set the ship down about a mile east of the hive, and make our way there on foot. Once there, we'll have to wait for further information from my grandpa. He'll know what to do; he's been monitoring the situation there for some time now. Any questions so far?"

There weren't any, and so Kurai went to the Yautja equivalent of a refrigerator, got out a piece of the "jerky", sat down with the other two, and began to eat. As she munched on the salty food, she made a mental note to head to Earth soon to get some more human munchies. Some milk and cereal would be really good at the moment…

"All right; let's get to the cockpit. I'd hate to end up crashing this ship before we even land on the friggin' planet." Kurai said when they'd finished eating.

"Don't jinx it." Taki said, following her. Ko muttered in agreement as he brought up the rear.

Kurai sat down in the pilot's seat and checked the ship's systems. Everything seemed to be in order; nothing had hit the ship during the "night", the energy cells that powered the ship were at full power, and they were heading for the planet at a steady speed.

"A Queen kiande amedha… Joy…" Ko said dryly, taking a seat beside Taki.

"Come on, Ko; you know Shisome!" Kurai said, looking over her shoulder at the Yautja, who crossed his arms and snorted.

"Yes, I knew her when she was smaller than my helmet. Now she's taller than you and I put together, and she has a hive full of kiande amedha who'll do whatever she wants with no hesitation."

"Ko, that's a load of shit and you know it! Get over yourself, dude! Shisome's cool…and sweet. She's not going to do anything to you… Makoto, on the other hand, he's probably going to be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life…or his, whichever comes first." Taki said, glancing up from his data pad, on which he was apparently playing a game.

"Why is that?" the hunter asked, sounding a little offended.

"Because you squeezed his Queen like a rubber duck when she was a baby. Do you still have the marks on your shoulders where Makoto tackled you after that?" the human replied.

"Don't remind me…" Ko replied, rubbing one shoulder.

"It's your fault, Ko!" Kurai said, checking the computer's data on Pluvia. The planet was coming closer and closer by the minute, and they'd soon be beginning the descent onto the surface. Apparently it had been classified long ago as useless for chiva purposes, and seemed to have no value for other hunting either. Kurai was grateful of this; it meant that no Yautja would likely be snooping around the planet and find the hive by accident. The large sphere was a pale green color, with some blue here and there, resembling Earth to a degree. Large patches of grey clouds were here and there in the atmosphere, leading to the reason for the planet's name.

"Regardless of whose fault it is–Ko–the fact is simple; you can't pick her up now…but she can you!" Taki said, laughing at the idea.

"She could munch you like piece of candy!" Kurai added, getting an image of Ko, covered in chocolate, being held by Shisome, who was about to take a big bite out of him…

"Comforting image, Kurai…" Ko said flatly.

"I suppose it is better not to antagonize a person who's been brought up to hunt Xenomorphs…though _you're_ the one who took down a Queen, Kurai." Taki pointed out.

"A sick Queen." Kurai said, checking another statistic on the computer.

"A Queen is a Queen!" Ko said.

"I don't like to fight someone who's not giving me their best… I might have to go out hunting another Queen, just to even things up…" the human woman said quietly.

"I'd love to see the look on the Elder's face if you did that!" Taki said, wiggling with excitement.

"You could almost lead your own clan, with an accomplishment like that…" Ko observed.

"I almost did end up leading a clan… No; I'm not the type to lead a group. I prefer to be out of sight and out of mind."

"Yet you're the most accomplished huntress in your age group." Ko complimented, making Kurai blush secretly.

They all remained quiet for about an hour, when an automated female voice from the ship's computer made an announcement.

"NOW APPROACHING PLANET SURFACE. PLEASE FASTEN RESTRAINING BELTS AND BRACE FOR LANDING."

"This is it guys!" Kurai said, fastening her restraint. The ship's computer took over landing for her, and the other two quickly buckled up.

Slowly, the ship began to tilt forward, until it was pointing almost directly at the surface of the planet. It went faster, building up speed, until it began to enter the atmosphere. Kurai was expecting the ship to shake a little, as the ones on Earth did when entering or leaving the atmosphere, but the descent was surprisingly smooth.

At last, the angle of descent became less steep, until they were cruising about a mile above the surface. Kurai had already programmed the coordinates of the hive into the computer, so it knew exactly where she wanted it to land.

"NOW APPROACHING LANDING DESTINATION. PLEASE REMAIN SEATED UNTIL LANDING PROCEEDURE HAS ENDED."

They all held on to the arms of their seats, closing their eyes for the landing. The ship bumped the ground gently, and in a moment, the onboard computer spoke again.

"LANDING COMPLETE. LANDING GEAR IS DOWN AND DOCKING RAMP MAY BE EXTENDED. FEEL FREE TO EXIT THE CRAFT."

They all unbuckled their seats and went into their rooms to get their armor on…just in case. When they met up again, Kurai took the ship's remote in her hand and pressed the button for the doors to open.

The three of them blinked behind their masks as the Pluvian sun streamed through the opening and shone in their eyes.

"Well, let's go; the hive awaits!" Kurai said, stepping out into the planet's bright daylight.

_Meanwhile…_

"There they are… Wait until they are far enough away and land near them. We'll follow them from a distance and see where they're going before confronting them." Aru said, and Oriki did as he was told.

_Meanwhile, again…_

"They're here, ma'am; and they're in a strange ship. Our radars pick up odd energy emanating from it." a woman in a low-cut black shirt said, pulling her hair over to cover her face.

They had been there for the past couple of days, carefully hidden from the two Shadows and their equipment. The other woman answered in a cold, cruel voice.

"Very good, Meisai… Never mind the ship; we'll either destroy it when we're done or keep it for our own. Have the men keep an eye on them… We'll intercept them once they let their guard down. Hoshi Yamamoto should be coming soon, if the bug you planted in his office is working right... We'll wait to see if they venture out alone…then take care of them. When we're done with that, we'll kill Yamamoto and everyone on his ship as well. I gave the old man a warning to stay away from this. It's his own foolishness that's going to lead him and all of his men to their deaths."

"And if they don't go out alone?" Meisai asked, looking at her employer.

"If we can't get Blackwood alone, we'll simply follow through on our contingency plan…and take all of the Xenomorphs out ahead of schedule."

"Yes, Ms. Stone." Meisai said, smiling wickedly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer-Don't own it.**

Chapter 5

"Which way are we supposed to go to get to the hive?" Taki asked, looking around at the Pluvian surface.

They had landed in a large, clear space in the middle of a lush forest. All around them, the noises of nature were overwhelmingly loud. There were sounds resembling those of birds and insects, a few that sounded like frogs and some that could only have come from larger animals. Kurai checked her data pad to make sure that the hive was indeed in the intended direction, and turned to Taki.

"It's East of here…'bout one mile. We can get there in about an hour, if we hurry. I've already contacted the two Shadows stationed there; they'll meet us a little way outside of the place. They're eager to keep us from anyone in hiding or something, I guess… Let's keep our weapons close at hand; we don't want to run into anything if we're unarmed." the human woman said, her hand near her fan.

"I'd rather not run into anything even if we were armed…" Taki muttered, but took a shuriken into his hand.

Ko held his combi-stick at the ready, and a smart disc in another hand. They must have looked quite the group, going through the jungle with weapons drawn, as though they would meet up with some sort of medieval monster at any turn.

"So, how far are we from the hive now?" Taki asked, after about thirty minutes. The two humans were hot and sweaty in their armor, but Ko, whose species relished the heat, seemed quite comfortable in the atmosphere.

"A little under half a mile. Barring any incidents, we'll be there in about thirty more minutes." Kurai replied, looking at her data pad.

"Good; it's hot as the tenth circle of Hell out here… I'd bet that anyone in their right mind would keep out of this heat." Taki observed, holding a hand in front of his face and looking at the sky.

"Stop complaining, Taki! You're a warrior now! I guarantee that you'll be subjected to much worse conditions on your hunts. Besides, the hive is in a cave; it should be a bit cooler inside the hive…" Ko chided the human with a series of clicks and growls.

"Well, what would anyone in their right mind be doing here anyway?" Kurai mumbled.

_Meanwhile…_

"Hurry up, fool! We've got to keep up with them!" Aru snarled, as Oriki lagged behind.

"Come on, Aru! This is insane! They're probably just tracking something!" the other male said, brushing some leaves off of his armor.

"If they're tracking something, why don't we see any signs? Just shut up and keep going!" Aru almost roared. He'd been in a cramped ship with the other male and his whining for the past week, and he was getting fed up with him.

Oriki said nothing, and kept walking. He didn't want to make Aru any more frustrated than he already was. In truth, he had nothing against the Oomans; they weren't hurting anyone, and the female's Queen kiande amedha skull would bring the clan a great deal of honor. He only hoped that the other male would come to his senses soon; he wanted to get home, have a hot meal, and go to sleep in his own small room.

_Thirty minutes later…_

"Finally!" Kurai said, looking at the cliffs looming up ahead. The cliffs were riddled with caves in which the Xenomorphs made their hive. They were about to proceed, when something got their attention.

"Miss Kurai!" a female voice called, making them look a little to the left of them.

"Momo!" Kurai said, looking at the female Shadow, who was coming toward them, wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans, along with black combat boots.

"Yamamoto-san told us to meet to meet you a little ways from the hive." the other woman replied, stopping short of three of newest arrivals.

"Why?" Kurai asked. Her grandfather above all others should have known that she could take care of herself.

"Well, there was an attack on the hive awhile ago. Some really bad people got in without us knowing until it was too late."

"What?! Who the hell would be able to do something like that?" Kurai asked, and Taki and Ko were definitely paying attention now.

"It'll be explained when your grandfather gets to the hive. Believe me, it's a long and complicated story. Let's go; your grandfather should be arriving later today. We can greet him together." Momo said, then took a look at the other two people in the group.

"Ah, Taki! It's been awhile since I've seen you…" she said, in a sweet voice. Taki had been about sixteen the last time the two of them had met…much to Taki's frustration. Momo winked at Taki and went over to Ko.

"Hello, it's nice to meet–OH MY GOD!" Momo screamed when she saw Ko, who had taken his helmet off.

"It's okay! He's with us!" Kurai said quickly, as the Shadow drew a wakizashi that had been hanging at her side.

"With…with you? That creature is with you, Miss Kurai?" she stammered, never taking her eyes off of the seven-foot Yautja, who cocked his head and clicked inquisitively.

"Yeah, his name's Ko…he's well...we'll talk about it when we get to the hive, okay?" she said, as Ko put his helmet back on.

"O-okay…sure…"

"Lessgo then; it's fucking hot out here!" Taki said, leading the way. The rest of them followed.

_Meanwhile…_

"They've stopped, Aru; they're–" Oriki was interrupted by the other male.

"They're meeting someone… They've traveled all this way and they're meeting someone… So much for your theory of hunting, Oriki…"

"They could be meeting someone to hunt with…it's not like we don't occasionally get together with other clans for larger hunts. Really, it's not suspicious." Oriki rationalized.

"But she's not getting together with another member of our clan or any other; she's meeting another Ooman!"

"Oomans have the ability to build and fly ships; they have for the past few hundred years. In fact, this planet is on many of their maps, if my helmet is correct. It's far from impossible for them to get here, though I don't know why they'd want to." the other male said, getting exasperated.

"Exactly! If there's nothing for Oomans on this planet, why is the female meeting that one? Let's continue following them, Oriki!" with this, Aru slipped through the underbrush, being careful to make as little noise as his large frame would allow.

Oriki sighed, then followed, wondering where the other male's paranoia would lead him.

"_Nowhere good, I'm sure…"_ he thought.

_Meanwhile…_

Kurai's group walked until they could see the mouth of the Xenomorphs' cave. They were relieved to see that everything looked as it did when they had left the two Xenos a couple of months ago.

"Home at last!" Momo said, spreading her arms to show them the place.

"Where is Makoto? I know Shisome probably can't come out to meet us, but I thought Makoto might be more personable, seeing as he's not seen us in awhile…" Taki pouted.

"Well, Makoto is probably waking his girlfriend up about now, and the other Xenos are going about their duties. You'll be meeting them shortly. They'll be really happy to see the people who helped their Queen!" Momo said excitedly.

"So, we're going to be staying here awhile?" Ko asked, apparently not liking the idea of spending the night in a Xenomorph hive.

"What're those noises he's making?" Momo asked, glancing at Ko. She had become a little more comfortable with him during the remainder of the walk because, as Kurai had told her, she had been living with Xenomorphs for the past few days.

"Oh, he's saying how nice it'll be to spend the night somewhere safe. We thought we'd end up sleeping in the woods or something." Kurai translated, forgetting that Ko's native tongue wasn't easy for humans to understand right away.

"Yeah, I'm glad of that too. To tell the truth, I didn't think that Yamamoto-san was serious when he first said the words "Xenomorph hive" when he was telling us where we'd be going, but I've actually come to like the place. It's big, clean, a little humid and dark…but the perfect apartment is hard to find; and this place is rent-free…"

They continued on into the cave, noting a patch of dirt that looked as though it had recently been dug up.

**A/N – This is the place where Makoto had helped Adelicia dig up the big radish thing.**

The interior of the cave was very dark, and they could feel the dry heat of the day give way to a warmer, more humid climate. The walls of the cavern were covered with thick black resin, like the walls of the cave that Kurai and Taki had been to on their Chiva; except that this resin wasn't old and cracked. Kurai remembered reading that the resin provided camouflage and heat for the residents of the hive, and it also kept the place clean.

"We'll need to go to Shisome's chamber; it's right down this corridor, then to the right." Momo said, making Ko jump a bit; he was obviously nervous, and Kurai could understand why, having faced Xenos on their own turf before. In this darkness, with the resin-coated walls and tunnels going every which way, an attack could begin and end in a matter of moments, with the victims totally helpless.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked, looking at the Shadow and her best friend. Ko was examining a bit of slime on the wall, and appeared to be oblivious to everything else.

"We're going to…talk strategy." Taki said, but his eyes never left Momo's chest.

"All right then; if you think this is the time…" Kurai muttered out loud.

"I do…go on ahead; I'll catch up." he replied.

Kurai shrugged and rolled her eyes, then went on alone, wondering how Taki could think of sex at such a time. Then again, her friend's carnal pursuits were never far from his thoughts.

As she walked down the hall, she saw a few rooms branching off of the main tunnel. As she passed one, she caught a glimpse of something that made her quickly turn and press her back against the nearest wall. There was a human figure in the room; it was busy with something, and didn't seem to notice her passing buy.

"This might be one of the people Momo talked about…" Kurai thought, drawing a knife from her belt.

Sneaking up quietly, she was pleased to note that the person didn't turn around. She got up to about a foot away from the stranger and, quicker than the person could react, slipped a hand around their mouth and held the knife to their throat with the other.

"_Kurai, no!"_ Taki's voice echoed through the cave, as the person went limp in the woman's arms.

_Meanwhile…_

"So…they went into that cave…" Aru growled, as the pair watched from the foliage at the edge of the clearing in which the tall cliff sat.

"So? What do we do now?" Oriki asked, looking at one of the planet's native fauna; a rat-like creature that was bigger than the Yautja's head.

"We wait for them to come out and confront them." Aru replied, crouching down and making himself comfortable.

Oriki sighed and sat down as well; this could take awhile…


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Read, REVIEW, and TAKE MY POLL!**

Chapter 6

"_Kurai, no!"_ Taki cried, as the stranger went limp in Kurai's arms.

The blonde youth ran over to his friend, who was laying the stranger on the floor. She was revealed to be a young woman, roughly Kurai's age, with long auburn hair, a fair complexion, and a curvy figure. She was wearing a long pink dress and had apparently been preparing food when Kurai had caught her off guard.

"Oh, God… Did you…you didn't?" he stammered, getting closer.

"Chill, Taki! She just fainted…" Kurai said, and the other human gave a sigh of relief.

"Adelicia!" Momo cried, rushing over to see what was going on.

"Is she…? Miss Kurai, you didn't…" she said, looking at the girl.

"She fainted!" the other woman asserted.

"_**What's going on? I thought I heard… Addie!" **_a very familiar voice rang in all their heads.

Makoto rushed over to where the three humans were gathered around the girl–Adelicia, apparently–and gently cradled her in his arms.

"_**Kurai…what did you–"**_ the Praetorian began, as the girl began to wake up, leaning against the Xenomorph's chest as she did so.

"_She freakin' fainted!"_ Kurai said again, getting tired of repeating it.

"_**Why? Why would you attack my Addie?"**_ Makoto asked, as the girl in his arms stirred a bit and slowly opened her eyes.

Kurai was about to answer, when Ko suddenly came into the room, apparently drawn, like Makoto, by all the commotion.

"What's going on here? What's the commotion about?" Ko asked, looking around.

"Momo told me that there were some people who attacked the hive a while ago; I saw a stranger in bad lighting! I didn't hurt her! It was a mistake–wait, _your_ Addie? She's your…_girlfriend_?"

"Who's his girlfriend? What's a girlfriend?" Ko asked, trying to make sense of everything he was seeing.

"_**She's my mate, yes. She's also the most nonviolent creature you'll ever find… Are you all right?"**_ this last question was directed at Adelicia.

"I'm fine, Makoto… What happened?" she asked softly, as the Praetorian helped her to stand up, letting her lean against him.

"We got off to a pretty bad start, is what happened." Kurai said, removing her helmet to get a clearer view of the other woman.

"Oh… Who are you?" Adelicia asked, taking a hesitant step forward.

"Who are _you_?" Ko asked, tired of being ignored.

"Kurai Blackwood, nice to meet you." Kurai replied, extending a hand in greeting.

"A-Adelicia Jones! Lovely to meet you, Miss Kurai!" Adelicia stammered, looking at the armor-clad woman in awe.

"Uh, yeah… Sorry about almost taking your head off… Won't happen again…" Kurai said awkwardly, putting a hand behind her head. They probably couldn't have gotten off to a worse start…

"Oh…it's all right…" Adelicia said, smiling weakly. There was a long, awkward pause.

"So, we need to go to Shisome's chamber then?" Taki said at last, turning to Momo.

"Right; she'll probably want to see you, Miss Kurai. She's been talking about how she missed you when you were gone." Momo said, still aware of the slight air of tension.

"I'm looking forward to seeing her, too; and stop with all this "Miss" stuff. Call me Kurai, okay? Both of you." she said, meaning both Momo and Adelicia. She'd always felt uncomfortable with the level of formality that a lot of people showed her.

"Right." Momo said.

"Yes, all right…" Adelicia said softly.

As they walked, Ko took a position beside Kurai and tried to get himself filled in on what was going on.

"So you were about to kill her?" the Yautja asked, when the human had finished with her story.

"No; I was going to scare her and see what she was doing here. I had no idea, but apparently she's been living here awhile; Makoto called her his mate." she explained.

"His _what_?" Ko asked, stunned. In the dim light, Kurai saw his face contort in disbelief and mild disgust at the thought.

"_**My mate."**_ Makoto said firmly, coming to walk alongside them.

"That's great, Makoto! She seems sweet." the human woman said, giving the Xeno a congratulatory shake of the shoulder.

"_**She is… Only my Queen could mean more to me."**_ he replied, almost dreamily.

"Yeah…you might want to keep that to yourself." Kurai said, glancing at Adelicia, who was talking with Momo. The two of them had moved to the front of the group, and were occasionally giggling to themselves.

"_**Don't worry; I've already figured that much out." **_

"Good thing; the last thing any woman wants to hear is that she's number two in her guy's life." Kurai cautioned.

"Hey guys! Get your butts up here! There's someone who's been waiting to see you for a long time!" Momo called from the front of the group.

Together, Kurai, Taki and Ko made their way up to the front and crossed the threshold into a very large chamber. They looked around and saw who Momo had been talking about.

Shisome sat on a large "throne" made of the hard resin that her species secreted. Her large egg sac was suspended from the ceiling by thick masses of the stuff; making it easier for the female to stand under the huge weight. A couple of Drones were on her back, apparently keeping their Queen free of debris. They looked up from their task as the group of people entered, and hopped down onto the floor.

Kurai took a step forward, marveling at the sheer size of the Xenomorph. She looked just like the pictures in her biology textbooks; shiny black chitin covered her body, which was very sleek, despite her size. The most impressive thing about her was the huge crest on her head, which made her look all the more regal. She looked very similar to the tiny creature Kurai had seen last time; except much, much bigger. She had apparently been speaking to someone, as she looked up when they entered.

Though she knew the Queen quite well, Kurai was a little hesitant as she began to walk forward. The sheer size of her was enough to make any human run in terror, and the fact that there were several other Xenos in the room didn't help.

She stopped just in front of Shisome, who looked at her for a moment, before lunging down as far as she was able and, using her larger set of arms, grabbing the human up off the floor.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Read, REVIEW, and TAKE MY POLL!**

Chapter 7

"Shisome, stop it!" Kurai cried, as the group below stared up in surprise and shock.

The Queen had brought the human up to "eye" level, and had proceeded to begin rubbing her huge head against any part of the human she could get to. She had begun to rub her head against Kurai's belly, making her laugh hysterically. The large female was holding the human gently in her primary arms, and the sounds of her purring and little squeaks of pleasure filled the cavern.

"_**My Queen, we've got business to attend to…"**_ Makoto prodded gently.

"Yes… So could you put my mate down?" Ko suggested flatly. He'd actually drawn his combi-stick when Shisome picked Kurai up. He was breathing hard, and visibly shaken by the larger female's actions.

"_**Mine!"**_ Shisome said, holding Kurai slightly tighter. She hadn't seen the human in so long, and was amazed at just how small she seemed now. The last time they'd seen each other, Shisome had been small enough to fit under Kurai's coffee table; now she was too big to even fit into the human's ship.

"Come on, Shisome! We've got to get this figured out…" Momo said, trying to stifle a laugh.

"_**Miiiine!"**_ the Queen insisted, holding Kurai away from the Praetorian.

"_**Shisome…"**_ Makoto said sternly.

"_**Fine…she's just…so small…"**_ Shisome pouted, gently lowering Kurai to the ground. The human turned and rubbed the Queen's huge head, making her purr louder.

"It's okay, Shisome… Later I'll tell you about what happened to me when I got on Ko's clan ship." The human promised, pressing her cheek against the Queen's head, enjoying the unique feel of the chitin.

This seemed to satisfy the Xenomorph, and she lifted her head to survey the rest of the room.

"_**Oh, before we get started, I want to make some introductions. These–" she said, gesturing around the room at the many Xenomorphs, "are my subordinates." **_

"There are so many… You've been pretty busy, Shisome… They all look healthy…" Kurai said, by way of compliment. The Queen purred at the praise.

Shisome then proceeded to make introductions, pointing out each Xeno and giving their name and rank within the hive. When this was done, Momo spoke up.

"All right, Kurai, it's time you got caught up on everything that's been going on here since you left." the Shadow said.

"I agree; before Yamamoto-san arrives." Jim said. He'd been quiet up until that point, and Kurai hadn't noticed him. The sound of his voice had actually managed to make her jump a little.

"Who are you?" she asked, looking at the Shadow.

"I'm Jim; I specialize in Xenomorph biology. Your grandfather left me here to help treat any injuries that may arise." the blonde man explained.

"How long have you been here?" Kurai asked the two Shadows.

"About a week, I think; maybe a little more. We've been waiting for you to arrive. Yamamoto-san told us to stay here and protect the hive." Jim said, coming over to join them.

"So, what's the story so far?" she asked, and they all sat down in a circle to compare notes. Makoto sat beside Kurai, with Taki on the other side and Ko beside him. Adelicia sat beside Makoto, and Jim and Momo and Jim sat beside one another, completing the circle. Shisome looked down on them because of her height, and several of the hive's other residents took up various positions around the room; clinging to the ceiling, the walls, and any available ledge.

"Well, first you should tell us what's been going on with you." Momo said, more curious than concerned.

"All right…I hope you've all used the bathroom, 'cause this is going to be a long one…" Kurai said, and began.

_One hour later…_

"So that's what happened." Kurai finished. She'd given them the basic details, saving the really good stuff to tell Shisome later.

"Crap…" Momo said, leaning back.

"Wow…" Adelicia breathed, resting against Makoto, who had lain down to make himself more comfortable.

"So, you've been living with these…Yautja…for the past couple of months?" Jim asked, looking at Ko.

"Yep." Kurai said.

"Fascinating! I'd love to study the species… When all this is over, of course…"

"Well, I've got some technology of theirs; I'll send all the info I've got on them to your e-mail when I have time. There's quite a lot of interesting stuff, believe me!" Kurai sais.

"So, what's been going on here?" Taki asked, using a shuriken to scratch his back.

"_**Well, after we arrived here and you left…"**_ Makoto began, and now Kurai settled in for a story. The Xenomorphs told their story, with the Shadows and Adelicia filling in any gaps.

"So, let me get this straight; Ivan Stone was the man Makoto killed the night I let him out?" Kurai asked.

"Right." Momo said.

"And he had a sister named Irene, who apparently wants revenge?"

"Correct." Jim nodded.

"Okay, and she had this Meisai person infiltrate the Shadows to steal the footage of that night?"

"_**Right."**_ Makoto said.

"So, Irene Stone sent me that message saying that she knew about everything that happened that night? And she sold Xeno eggs to the crew of Adelicia's ship and tried to use them to start a new hive here?"

"_**Yeah, in order to get your attention, apparently."**_ Shisome put in.

"All right; and she attacked the hive and didn't kill you, but took a piece of your back spines with her when she left?"

"Are we going to do this all day?" Momo asked.

"Sorry, I just want to make sure that I have all of this straight… Okay, I think we're all up to speed now? I mean, no one's unclear on anything, right?" Kurai asked, looking around the room.

Everyone seemed to be caught up, so Kurai continued.

"_**So, we need to figure out what Stone's up to. We can assume that she wants revenge for her brother's death; but why go to all this trouble? Why not just get in touch with you and confront you directly, Kurai?"**_ Makoto said, tail twitching.

"That's what I'm wondering; there's no reason for her to go to all this trouble. I mean, she planted a spy, tracked us down here, found out my contact information, sold the eggs to those guys, and attacked the hive… All of that and more, and she could have just called me out herself…"

"She's planning something… She's planning something big…" Ko concluded.

"But what? None of what she's done makes any sense!" Taki said, putting his head in his hand.

"Yeah, and that's the fucking problem! It doesn't make any sense now, but sooner or later, her plan's going to come together, and we're only going to figure it out when we're right in the middle of a shit storm! Let's face it; at the moment, she's got us beat! We've no idea where she is; all we can do is wait for her to make her move!" Kurai said, her voice getting louder.

"But the Shadows–" Ko began, but was stopped by Kurai's sarcastic laugh.

"The Shadows are good; but there are a lot of places for someone who doesn't want to get caught to hide. Earth has colonized quite a few planets, and there are only a certain number of Shadows. No offense, Jim, Momo; but you guys can't be everywhere." Kurai said.

"_**So that's it? We're supposed to wait for the worst to happen? I've got a Queen and a mate to protect, Kurai!"**_ Makoto said, standing suddenly, making Adelicia jump a little.

"I'm sorry, but we've got no choice! We can't go after her because we've got no leads. And even if we did; what would we do?" Kurai said, standing to face the Praetorian.

"_**Confront her! Punish her for all she's done!"**_ Makoto replied, baring his teeth at the thought.

"Not on her own ground, we won't! If she comes here, at least we'll have a home-field advantage! You know this place, Makoto; she doesn't."

"_**But Shisome…and Addie…"**_ the Praetorian said quietly, looking first at his mate, then at his Queen.

"_**Makoto, there are others who are willing to protect me. You don't have to take the whole burden, you know."**_ the Queen said gently.

"And I'm learning to protect myself!" Adelicia said, looking up at her mate.

"_**I suppose…"**_ Makoto said quietly, and sat down to brood. Adelicia sat down with him and began to stroke his head to comfort him.

"Makoto, I can understand that you'd want to protect those closest to you; but you've got to look at this rationally. We've got nothing to go on right now. We'll have to wait until my grandpa gets here; he'll have an idea, I'm sure of it! When will he get here, anyway?" this was directed at Momo and Jim.

"Let me see… He said that he'd call us when they'd be nearing the hive." Momo informed her.

"Who's he bringing with him?" Kurai asked.

"He's bringing some Twilights and Midnights, and Yamamoto Ishi." Jim said.

"Twilights? Midnights? Fuck me!" Taki said quietly.

"My grandma's coming? Grandpa's letting her come to Pluvia?"

"Letting her, hell! She threatened him right in front of us!" Momo exclaimed.

"I'm really scared now, Kurai! First there's those super Shadows, then your grandma!" Taki said, and he did indeed sound worried.

"What's so frightening about your grandmother?" Ko asked, cocking his head. From his observations of Oomans on Earth, grandmothers were old females who took care of their children's pups and occasionally made them trays of sweet baked treats.

"For starters, she's bat shit crazy! She's a black belt, and mean as hell when she wants to be…" Taki replied, shivering a little.

"She's just a little eccentric, is all…" Kurai muttered.

Taki was about to answer, when Momo and Jim's holophones rang. The two Shadows picked up, and were surprised to see that it was Hoshi.

"Sir!" they both said together, adopting the formal attitude of their rank.

"Ah, glad I was able to get through to you. We landed about five minutes ago, and we should be at the hive's entrance in about thirty…twenty, if Ishi drives… We'll be landing in the same spot as before; I trust you remember where it is?" he asked.

"Yes, Yamamoto-san! Oh, and your granddaughter landed here a while ago with the other two you mentioned. Would you like to speak with her?" Momo asked.

"Yes, thank you, Momo." Hoshi said, and the Shadow handed Kurai the holophone.

"Hey, Jiji!" Kurai said, using her nickname for her grandfather. Despite the situation, she was happy to see him looking well.

"Hello, Kurai. Are you doing all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm doing fine. I've got a lot to tell you when you get here. I hear Grandma came with you…"

"Yes, Kurai; I'm here! Your grandfather didn't want me to come, but when have I ever backed down on something this important? Never! I will not stay behind on Earth while my husband and grandchild are on some faraway planet fighting some psychotic woman bent on revenge!" Ishi Yamamoto said, taking the phone from her husband.

"Hi, Mrs. Yamamoto! Glad to see you're looking well!" Taki said, putting his head in the picture.

"Hello, Taki… Don't even try to suck up to me; I haven't forgotten that you still owe me money from the last time we played mahjongg!"

"Gotta go…" Taki said quickly, and ducked out of view.

"You were gambling again?" Hoshi could be heard asking.

"This isn't about me, dear; we're talking about Kurai now. How are you doing? Are you eating well?"

"Yeah, Grandma… I'm doing fine…" Kurai said. She was never any good at small talk.

"So, are we going to meet you at the hive's entrance?" Momo asked, coning into view.

"That'll be fine, thank you. Well, I'd better go get into the hovercraft. Goodbye, Kurai, Taki, Momo, Jim…" With this, he hung up the phone.

"Okay, let's get out there and wait for them then…" Taki said, rising.

"_**Tell me if anything interesting happens, please."**_ Shisome said gently, her huge tail swishing through the air.

"Will do." Kurai said. Rising, the rest of them followed her out of the room.

"Kurai, I'm going to stay here with Shisome." Makoto said, and Kurai nodded before proceeding down the hall.

The others followed her, and they eventually reached the cave's entrance.

Kurai and Ko exited the cave first, followed by Taki and Momo. Jim came out next, looking at something on his handheld computer that seemed to interest him.

_Meanwhile…_

Irene Stone watched the group exit the Xenomorphs' hive from her vantage point across the clearing. She had hidden herself and Meisai there a little while ago in order to enact yet another phase of her plan. She'd watched as the Shadow had led Kurai and her friend, and another strangely-clad person into the hive. They'd stayed inside for about two and a half hours, and she was beginning to become impatient.

"Ms. Stone… You heard what they said?" Meisai said, upon seeing Kurai.

"Yes; we've got an hour… Good work bugging the phones, Meisai… All right… Go have fun… But remember your objective…" she said, and the false Shadow leapt from the bushes and jumped in front of the group. Stone sighed at the other woman's rash behavior, but stepped out of the bushes after her.

_Meanwhile…again…_

"What's going on now?" Oriki asked, looking up. He'd fallen asleep in the bushes waiting for the Oomans to exit the cave.

"I believe that they're fighting with someone…" Aru said, craning his neck trying to get a better look.

"Do we make our move now?" the other male said, stifling a yawn.

"No; let's see what happens… With any luck, they'll all kill each other and we can go home…"

"Fine…whatever…" Oriki said, and got a viscous look from Aru for his trouble.

"Oh, Ooman… You're more interesting to me by the minute…" Aru said, and settled in to watch the battle.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Read, REVIEW, and TAKE MY POLL!**

**Okay, for a couple of days, I wasn't able to upload documents. Was anyone else having this problem?**

Chapter 8

"The hell?" Kurai muttered, as a strange woman in black jumped out into the clearing in front of the group. A little way behind her, another woman, also dressed in black, stepped out into the open.

"Kurai!" Ko said, and stepped out into the clearing. He took a fighting stance; apparently ready to join the battle.

"That's the fake Shadow…" Adelicia whispered urgently.

"Yeah; she's the one Makoto got hold of…" Momo said lowly.

"Get back; I'll take care of this!" Kurai said to the others, and they reluctantly retreated a little way.

"So what are you doing here?" Kurai asked, turning her attention back to the stranger.

"Oh, don't mind me… I'm just here to kill you…" she replied, in a sickeningly sweet tone.

She was average height, short brown hair and a slender build. Her two most prominent features were the large scar on her face and her very large chest, which was exposed by her very low-cut shirt. If not for the scar, she would have been quite an attractive woman. Now she grinned at Kurai in a very disturbing way.

"Figures… Who are you back there?" Kurai called, looking at the other woman.

"Irene Stone. I'm just here to observe you for today." the woman said. She had very short sandy-blonde hair, a fair complexion, and an average build. She was wearing black as well, with a bullet-proof vest on top of her shirt.

"Stone? You're the one causing all this shit that's been going on lately?" Kurai asked, and the woman cracked a cold smile.

"Yes; yes I am. If you remember, you had a hand in killing my brother…however, I'm just going to test your skills today. The woman in front of you will be engaging you in combat. She's not supposed to kill you, but that little boo-boo she's got has made her a little…upset, and I don't know if she'll listen to me… The real fun will start later on…but why ruin the surprise?"

"I'll ruin a lot more than that!" Kurai snarled, and made a beeline for Stone, but was cut off by the scarred woman.

"Who are you?" the red-eyed girl asked, wincing a little just looking at the other female.

"My name's Meisai; and like I said before…I'm here to kill you!" she hissed, pulling out a dagger.

"Second question; what's with your face?" Kurai sneered. Though she knew better, she couldn't resist taunting her opponent.

"My face? My face! Your Xeno friend is what's up with my face! And mine will be a work of art, compared to what I'm going to do to yours!" Meisai screamed, then lunged at Kurai.

She narrowly avoided being stabbed with the dagger, and sidestepped another swipe. The woman wasn't using any technique; just swinging her weapon wildly, trying to hit something. This was one of the most dangerous types of fighters; the one who didn't know what the hell they were doing. She was obviously half-crazed, which made her twice as dangerous.

Normally, Kurai would have used her martial arts skills to defeat her enemy; but this wasn't a normal situation. Her opponent was obviously imbalanced, and wasn't using any real technique. She couldn't get in close to get in a punch or kick, and she didn't have any weapons that weren't close-range.

Kurai narrowly avoided a downward stab, but winced as the dagger made a rather deep cut on her shoulder. Hot, sticky blood oozed out of the wound, and Kurai had to grit her teeth against the stinging pain.

All the while, Irene Stone was serenely observing the chaos taking place in front of her. She hadn't moved at all since she had jumped out of the bushes, and Kurai wondered what exactly she was up to.

Finally, she saw her opportunity, and swung her fan at Meisai's head. Though she wasn't keen on killing, she knew that she had no choice. The fan connected; resulting in a deep gash on the scarred woman's forehead. She screamed in rage and pain; an almost animal sound.

Meisai lunged at Kurai again, screaming and grinning like a maniac. There were several more narrow misses, and Kurai got cut a few more times. By the time she jumped back, Meisai's knife was crimson with Kurai's blood; it streamed down the hilt and covered her hand.

"_This has to end soon… I can't dodge her forever…"_ Kurai thought, and made one last attempt at finishing things.

Making a run at her crazed enemy, Kurai stopped short and slid along the ground with her foot at the level of the other woman's midsection. She connected; knocking the wind out of her enemy. Meisai game a grunt as she doubled over, and Kurai took the opportunity to finish things.

Quickly getting up, she kicked Meisai in the throat, making her fly back a few feet. The knife dropped from her hand and landed about a foot away from her. While she was down, Kurai rushed over and bent over her, holding her fan to the other woman's throat.

"I've got you down… If you give up now, we can all go home today…" she hissed, putting a little pressure on Meisai's neck.

"Go to hell… I'm going to kill you, then I'm going to kill all of your little friends… I'll have the Xeno who messed up my face stuffed and put next to my fireplace!" she replied with an insane smile.

"Come on… I don't want to kill you today!" Kurai replied.

"That's too bad…because I certainly want to kill you!" Meisai cried furiously, managing to grab her dagger. With a triumphant grin, she brought it down onto Kurai's shoulder.

Kurai cried out as the weapon sank into her flesh. She pulled her fan back and grabbed her injured shoulder. Meisai managed to get up, and delivered a kick to the side of the injured woman's head.

Kurai tasted blood as Meisai's foot connected with her head, and ended up on her hands and knees on the ground; coughing because of the pain.

Meisai walked slowly around Kurai, smiling in her triumph.

"Who's got who down now?" she sneered, and aimed another kick at the other's ribs.

Kurai seized her chance, and grabbed Meisai's foot as it came close. Twisting hard, she brought the disfigured woman to the ground, hearing a crunching sound from her foot. She screamed as the pain hit her, and thrashed around wildly. Kurai wasn't going to let another chance slip by her, and quickly got down onto Meisai's chest; pinning her to the ground so that she couldn't get hold of her weapon again.

"I'm not really going to have to kill you, am I?" she hissed, holding her fan to Meisai's throat.

"Either you kill me or I kill you. Either way; only one of us isn't going to walk away from this." Meisai growled.

"And what about Stone? Is it the same deal with her, too?"

"Ha! Between you and me, she's more fucked up than I am! You'll be lucky if _all_ she does is kill you!"

"Then I've got no choice…" Kurai said, a little sadly. Raising her fan, she took aim at Meisai's throat and prepared to land the killing blow. She was brining her fan down when…

She was surprised by a sudden movement from Meisai. The false Shadow had had a sudden surge of strength or rage or both, and was furiously trying to get Kurai off of her.

Kurai's fan didn't hit its mark; instead, she made a long, deep gash down her enemy's chest. Blood flowed freely from the wound, covering both women. Meisai shrieked in pain, and struggled even more. Kurai was knocked off of her and landed a little way away. She got to her feet quickly; ready to end the fight.

Meisai struggled to her feet; blood dripping from her gaping wound. She gasped in pain, and picked up her bloody dagger. The two faced each other again, but were interrupted by a sudden noise.

Irene Stone drew closer to the two; clapping her hands and smiling. She looked like a mother clapping her hands at her child's school play.

"Bravo! Bravo! Very nice! I'm very impressed with you Ms. Blackwood! It seems as though tales of your prowess in martial arts were far from exaggerated!" she said, coming to a stop a few feet behind Meisai.

"Glad you enjoyed it…" Kurai said darkly, never taking her eyes off of Meisai. The woman was holding her wounded chest, and it was clear that she was in serious need of immediate medical attention. Her breathing had become a little ragged, and it looked as though she was getting a little dizzy.

"Oh… There's no need to be rude…" Stone said, looking offended.

"Ms. Stone… I did as you asked…" Meisai coughed, taking a couple of steps toward Stone and holding the dagger out to her. Stone pulled a plastic bag out of a pocket and took the knife with it, before sealing it and putting it in a pouch at her side.

"Please… I'm hurt pretty bad… I need to get to the ship…" the false Shadow sputtered, blood coming out of her mouth. Kurai had obviously cut something vital.

"Yes… You did very well, Meisai… Unfortunately, we don't have the medical equipment on the ship to deal with your wounds. I'm sorry…" With this, Stone pulled a gun from her pocket and shot Meisai in the chest.

At the sound of the gun, the group behind Kurai gasped; and a couple of cries of horror could be heard.

Everyone jumped at the sound of the gunshot, and Kurai looked in horror as Meisai fell to her knees, then fell back onto the ground, a little blood flowing from her newest wound and from her mouth. She looked at her employer; betrayal and shock in her eyes.

"But…why?" she asked, her breathing shallow. She looked up at her employer's face, as though trying to find an answer.

"Like I said; you did your job. I've got no more use for you. Besides; you're too injured fight. This girl got the better of you; I don't need that kind of weakness with what I'm trying to accomplish. Rest well; you've been a wonderful pawn." Stone said, in a false tone of caring.

Meisai laid her head down again, and her chest stopped heaving. She was dead.

Kurai watched this, and her shock quickly turned to rage. She looked up from Meisai's corpse to Stone, who was putting her gun away and doing something with a handheld computer.

"Why did you kill her? She was on your side!" she yelled furiously.

"What's wrong? You were about to kill her just now; I saved you the trouble… You should thank me…" Stone said, sounding offended.

"You're fucking insane…" Kurai said quietly.

"Perhaps… Oh… We'll have to talk about this later; your grandfather's coming, and my ride's here!" she replied.

Kurai was about to say something else, but the sound of an engine distracted her.

A sleek silver hovercraft suddenly made its entrance. It came to a stop a few feet away from where Stone was standing; a door opening for her.

"Goodbye, for now…" Stone said, waving as she got in the vehicle. Quickly opening the sun roof, she stood and called out to Kurai.

"And just to make sure you don't try to follow me…" With this, she drew her gun and shot into the group standing behind Kurai. A cry sounded from the direction, making Kurai turn around to see who had been injured.

Stone took the opportunity to make her escape. The hovercraft's engines whirred, and the vehicle sped off into the jungle; making the leaves rustle loudly and fall like rain.

Running over to the group, Kurai got her first look at the damage that had been done.

Adelicia was lying on the ground, blood soaking her dress. The wound appeared to be on her left shoulder, and it was making the girl cry with pain.

"Fuck!" Momo said, grabbing hold of Adelicia's dress and tearing it to see the wound.

They were lucky; the bullet had only grazed the brunette's shoulder, but it was still a painful-looking wound.

"Thank the gods…" Momo said, and moved to help Adelicia. She tore a piece of her kimono off and applied pressure to the wound.

"Oh! It hurts so much!" Adelicia said, tears flowing from her eyes, which she had squeezed shut from the pain. She seemed about to say something more, when she suddenly fainted.

"Come on; let's get her inside." Momo said to Jim, and the two gently lifted the injured woman and began to carry her into the hive.

"Right; I can help her a lot better in one of the chambers with my tools…" the other Shadow replied, and they began to move the brunette.

"_**What's going on? I heard a lot of noise coming from out–ADDIE!"**_

Makoto rushed out of the hive and over to his mate. He had apparently been drawn by the commotion–probably the gunshot– and had come to see what was going on. The sight of the bloody and unconscious Adelicia being carried into the hive sent him rushing out into the clearing. The Xenomorph took his mate from the two Shadows and carefully cradled her against his chest. Carrying her was a lot easier for him than the others.

_Meanwhile…_

"Aru… These Oomans are interesting… I wonder what this is about…" Oriki said, watching the scene in front of them.

They had watched with extreme interest as Kurai had fought the first Ooman female with the disfigured face, and as the other one had killed her. They had also found it fascinating when the remaining female called a vehicle and made her escape; but only after shooting into the group that Kurai was with. One of them had been injured, and two of the black-robed Oomans were carrying her into the cave, when another being rushed out.

"Kiande amedha…!" the two Yautja said together, staring at the large specimen.

"They must have been hunting in their hive or something… Now one of them is injured and the kiande amedha is going to–" Oriki was trying to figure out the situation, when he was cut off by the actions of the ebony creature before him.

"Help them?" Aru whispered, as the creature gently took the injured female from the other two and held her to its chest.

"What…is this?" Oriki whispered, unable to make sense of what was taking place.

"Treason!" Aru hissed and, before Oriki could even look up, rushed out of the bushes to confront the group.

Oriki took one more look before following the other male.

_Meanwhile…_

"_**What happened?"**_ the Praetorian cried, looking down at Adelicia.

Kurai was about to reply, when a rustling made her turn around. She expected to see Stone, but nearly fainted herself when she realized who it was.

There in the clearing stood two Yautja; wearing the mark of the Silver Crescent Clan.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer – Don't own AVP.**

**Read, REVIEW, and TAKE MY POLL!**

**Oh, and check out my District 9 fic and tell me what you think!**

Chapter 9

"Oh, shit…" Kurai said, her crimson eyes widening behind her mask.

"Fuck me…" Taki whispered.

"Pauk…" Ko muttered.

"_**Who are these two? They are of the same species as Ko, are they not?"**_ Shisome asked.

"Yeah, but…that one's not nearly as friendly." Kurai said, meaning Aru. There was another male with him, a light brown color with lighter stomach and darker stripes. His hair was shoulder length and done up in copper bands, and his armor was a bronze color. Under one arm he carried his mask; letting everyone get a good view of his stunned face.

"Guys, get Adelicia inside…" Kurai said, looking back at Makoto.

"_**Right…"**_ the Praetorian said, and quickly went back into the hive, with Momo and Jim following to provide medical attention.

"What are you doing here, Aru?" Ko asked, his hand at his side; ready to grab his combi-stick.

"I'll tell you what I'm not doing; I'm not consorting with kiande amedha, you Blue Leaf trash!" Aru spat.

"What gave you that idea…?" Kurai said weakly. There was no getting around this; they were caught.

"Don't treat me like I'm stupid, Ooman filth… I saw you with the kiande amedha… What explanation could you possibly have for your actions? And what was going on between you and those other Oomans? One of them killed the other; not an honorable act, from where I'm standing. Are you associating with Bad Bloods? If so, I have every right to drag you back to the Silver Crescent clan and let the Elder deal with you!"

"Who the hell gave you that right? You're not an Arbitrator; you're not even Honored yet! You've got absolutely no authority here whatsoever!" Kurai retorted.

"Perhaps not; but I'll tell you what I can do… I can contact Elder Yeyinde and tell him what I saw; I don't need to be an Arbitrator or Honored to do that…" Aru hissed quietly, taking a step toward Kurai. She was reaching for her weapon, when a sudden stab of pain shot from her injured shoulder to the rest of her body. She gasped and put her hand up to her shoulder; it came away sticky with blood.

"You've got no reason to do that, Aru… This is no concern of yours or of the clan." Ko said slowly.

"What are you even doing here? The Elder said he wouldn't have anyone follow me…" Kurai said, recovering a little.

"And he kept his word; I followed you of my own accord, thanks to Oriki."

"Looks like you're in the wrong here, not me… Wonder what Elder Yeyinde would do if he found out that you were tailing me? How did you follow me without my ship picking you up, anyway? From what Ne'Renh told me, it's got the latest tech onboard…so how did you manage to elude it?" Kurai asked, glaring at the Yautja in front of her.

"That kind of technology is only used by very highly trained Arbitrators and very crafty Bad Bloods…and it's already been established that you're not an Arbitrator…" Ko said.

"Aru…he's right… If you go to the clan and tell them what we saw here, they're going to want to know how we came to be here! The only explanation is that either we went with the Oomans and are just as guilty, or we used illegal methods!" Oriki said. Kurai noticed that he didn't seem as enthusiastic about this pursuit as his companion.

"I told you before; sometimes we must use illegal methods to bring Bad Bloods to justice!" Aru snarled, turning to the other male, now known as Oriki. Said male seemed to finally have had enough of his companion, and roared in exasperation.

"But it's not our place to bring them to justice! I'll admit that some odd things went on here; but there's NOTHING that can really be construed as Bad Blood behavior!"

"You can say that after what you saw?" Aru hissed.

"As long as they keep the clan out of it, it's their business! Let's just go home; we'll be in trouble, but if we end this here and now we might be spared the Arbitrators' wrath!"

"If the Arbitrators take sides with these Oomans, they don't deserve their titles! And the same goes for you, Oriki! If you keep defending these Oomans, I will have no choice but to lump you into the same category as them!" Aru declared, his hand creeping down to the combi-stick on his belt.

"Look, it's obvious that you've got issues with me; but leave the others out of it. What is your problem with me, anyway? What did I do to warrant you following me here and threatening me and my friends? Seriously; get a hobby or something!" Kurai said.

"The problem I have with you is that you're an Ooman who somehow managed to get to a high rank in less than two months' time! I wouldn't have had such a problem with you if you'd stayed in your place; you didn't, and I do! Ever since you came to our clan you've made a mockery of our rules and customs! In the short time you've been with us, you've single-handedly managed to find ways to get around our most sacred traditions! You killed a kiande amedha Queen, you fought an Elder and got a ship out of it, you secured a high position for yourself and your friends in less time than it takes for most of us to be properly initiated, and you keep very questionable company… You need to be brought into line; and since none of the higher-ups seem to want–or be able to–do it, I suppose it falls on me to defend the honor of the Silver Crescent Clan!" the Yautja cried, bringing out his combi-stick.

"Defend the clan's honor? You've done nothing but talk about defending the clan's honor ever since we left the clan ship; yet you used illegal methods to find these Oomans! If you'd confronted them directly, you could have preserved your good name; but if you ask me, Aru, you're the closest thing to a Bad Blood here, and I won't be a part of your paranoid fantasies anymore!" he finished yelling at Aru and turned to Kurai.

"Ooman; I'm going to take my ship and go home. I will be telling the Arbitrators that we followed you; but if you swear to tell them that I had no part in Aru's plan–aside from bringing him here and letting him install the technology in my ship–I will forget everything I saw here today, including the kiande amedha. Deal with Aru as you wi–augh!" his words were stopped by a loud cry of pain.

While he was talking, Aru had come up behind him and stabbed his combi-stick through his chest.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer – Don't own AVP.**

**Chapter 10**

"SHIT!" Kurai, Taki and Ko screamed, as Oriki fell to his knees, then crumpled to the ground. By the sound of his ragged breathing, he was still alive; but barely.

"What the hell? Why did you kill him?" Kurai cried, horrified at seeing another person killed by their comrade in less than an hour.

"He was a traitor. He would have betrayed me and the clan to help you Oomans and the kiande amedha! Oh, I knew from the moment you stepped onto our ship that you'd be trouble; and I was right. No one believed me when I said that you'd cause the downfall of our clan! Now here you are with an entire hive of kiande amedha; ready to attack us! I can see through your plan as clear as day, Ooman Kurai!" Aru roared, and rushed at the human.

Kurai was taken by surprise, and braced for impact; expecting to be impaled by the combi-stick at any second.

When the blow didn't come, she looked up.

Aru was standing about a foot away from her, his combi-stick about two inches from her chest. On his face, he wore a look of surprise and slight pain. It was not Aru, however, that Kurai's eyes were drawn to; it was the massive Praetorian standing behind him.

Makoto had apparently rushed out to see if he could help with the fight. He stood behind Aru, tail arched over his back, mouth open and smaller jaws extended in rage. He was obviously still furious about Stone's wounding Adelicia.

Aru turned around, made a half-coherent swipe at Makoto with his combi-stick, which missed, and fell to the ground.

"_**Did you kill him?"**_ Shisome asked, making Kurai jump. She still couldn't get over suddenly hearing the Xenomorphs' voices in her head.

"_**No; I just used my tail to render him unconscious…"**_ the Praetorian said, looking at the Yautja on the ground. Kurai was about to say something, when a wet-sounding cough got her attention.

Oriki had somehow managed to roll himself over onto his back, his hands over the deep wound in his chest. He was growing very pale, and there was a great deal of bright green blood on his body and the ground around him.

"Shit…" Kurai said, getting up and going over to the wounded Yautja.

"Is there anything we can do for him? He doesn't deserve to die like this…" the human woman said, gently putting Oriki's head in her lap. He coughed again, a little blood oozing out of his mouth and onto Kurai's pants.

"I'm afraid not; that wound is far too big, even for our medi-kits… Even if we could get him to an experienced medic, the odds against him are stacked too high…" Ko said, crouching down beside the human.

"So… I must die then…" Oriki coughed, making the pair look down at him.

"I'm afraid so… I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do for you… We could inform your family of your demise, if you wish it…" Ko said quietly. It was apparent that he was unsure of how to conduct himself; and Kurai was no different.

"Yes… Tell my mother… She is of the Early Dawn clan… She will inform the rest of my relations of my death… Please…tell her that I'm sorry for keeping company with a Bad Blood… I didn't know that Aru was so close to madness… Ask her not to think too harshly of me…" Oriki said, his eyes going in and out of focus.

"Okay, okay… We'll tell your mom… I'm sure she'll hold you in high honor…" Kurai comforted, and Oriki let out a final cough before he laid his head down for the last time.

"He's gone…" Ko said, after a moment. Kurai gently laid Oriki's head on the ground, before rising, glowing blood staining her pants and hands.

"So, what do we do with him?" Taki asked, coming over and looking at Aru's unconscious form.

"Kill him; it's the only thing to do with a Bad Blood…" Ko remarked, drawing his combi-stick.

"I agree with Ko; this guys too dangerous to be allowed to go back to the clan." Taki said.

"_**If his intention is to inform others of our being on this planet, he must die."**_ Shisome said firmly.

"Okay, that's three votes…" Kurai muttered.

"_**I agree with my Queen; for our sake and yours, Kurai. Do you not think that you will be punished for not telling anyone about us?"**_ Makoto growled.

"Look, just…I don't know… Put him in the hive or something…until we can figure out what to do with him. If he wakes up and starts shit, do what you have to do." Kurai said. The last thing she wanted to do was to order someone's death; but it looked as though there was no choice at the moment.

"_**Right."**_ Makoto said. Bending down, he grabbed Aru under the arms and began to drag him into the hive.

"Will you be out here to see Grandpa? He should be here any minute…" Kurai asked, suddenly remembering that Hoshi was coming.

"_**Perhaps; but I must attend to my mate. Jim said that she'd wake up soon, and she'd be in some pain; I wish to be there to comfort her."**_ Makoto answered, now almost entirely inside the huge cave.

Kurai was about to speak again, when the sound of a hovercraft got her attention. Grabbing her fans, the human prepared to either greet her grandfather, of fight, should Stone be returning.

It was Hoshi Yamamoto's hovercraft; the Yamamoto family crest–a fan–was painted on the vehicle's door for all to see.

"Thank God…" Kurai breathed, lowering her weapons and putting them away.

"Yeah, I know what you mean; I don't think that I could have taken it if it had been another person who wants to kill us…" Taki said, putting away a shuriken that he'd apparently gotten out incase the hovercraft was the enemy's.

"Remember that my grandma's coming…" Kurai muttered, looking at her friend.

"Fuck… I'll take the Bad Bloods, please…" Taki said flatly.

Kurai was about to reply, when the hovercraft came to a stop, and the door opened.

_Meanwhile…_

All right, he's fully encased in resin; it should hold him if he wakes up and starts to move around." Makoto said, giving the hard substance a once-over.

"Good; remember what Kurai said… If he starts to make trouble, we can do what we want with him…" Shisome said.

"In truth, I'd much rather get my hands on Stone…" the Praetorian growled, thinking of his mate, who had not yet woken up. Her wound wasn't fatal; Jim had assured of him of that, but she was still going to be in some pain. He hated to see his love in any sort of discomfort. Only Shisome meant more to him…

"I'm sure you'll get your chance; Hoshi and Kurai are working on finding her… It makes me very nervous that she would come back here… it means that she could return at any time for one of her depraved experiments, if she's anything like her brother…" Shisome said quietly, remembering her captivity. She could still feel the pain of the electric shocks she'd received as "punishment"; even though it was quite some time ago.

"She seems to be just like her brother…if not worse…and now we know that she'll even kill her own people, if the mood strikes her! What are we going to do? You're in danger, my mate's hurt… The sooner this is all over, the better… My problem is: what will happen before this is all over? What's in store for us before we can finally relax again? Not a day goes by when I don't worry about you, this hive, and my mate…" Makoto said, pounding his fist against the wall in frustration.

"It'll be all right; Kurai won't let anything happen to us…" Shisome said gently.

"But she can't possibly stay here forever! She's giving up a lot trying to help us… We've got to remember that she's got a life, too… We can't expect her to drop everything and come to our rescue every time something scares us; it's not right…" Makoto protested.

"I know… She's done so much for us already… I feel awful about having to rely on her for everything, but we really don't have any choice… I just hope that Kurai knows that we really care about her; not just as a protector…" Shisome said quietly.

"Yes… I suppose we've been a little too dependant on her lately…but we've no choice at the moment. Once Stone is out of the way, we can all go back to our lives…hopefully." the Praetorian replied.

"I just hope everything turns out for the best…surely things can't get worse…" the Queen said, almost to herself.

Makoto was about to reply, when a noise drew his attention away from his Queen. Looking to the place where the Yautja named Aru was plastered to the wall, the Xenomorph and his Queen saw that the male was slowly coming back to consciousness…

Meanwhile, again…

"Grandpa! Grandma!" Kurai said, genuinely happy to see her grandparents, despite the odd circumstances.

"Kurai!" Ishi Yamamoto said, dropping the duffle bags she was carrying and hurrying over to her granddaughter. A figure was emerging from the front of the hovercraft to open the door for Hoshi.

Ishi Yamamoto was a small woman; only about five foot four. She was slender, like her granddaughter, with the same nose and chin. She was wearing a plum kimono with rust-colored obi, and had her graying hair up in a bun.

"It's so good to see you again, Grandma!" the younger woman said, embracing the elder.

"Same goes, Kurai! How have you been? Oh! What have you been doing? You're covered with blood! Rei! Get out here and attend to Kurai's wounds!" this last part was directed at the person who had opened Hoshi's door for him. Hoshi stood back to watch the activity with some amusement.

The figure was dressed in black from head to toe, including a mask which obscured his entire face, save his eyes and the bridge of his nose. The mask resembled those that ninjas supposedly wore, and was the one real defining factor in separating a Midnight from the hordes of other Shadows and Twilights.

There were so few Shadows who made it to this rank that Kurai could name them off on her fingers. This particular one was name Rei; and he was one of the best. If her grandparents had brought him to Pluvia, they must have been quite concerned.

"Yes, Yamamoto-san!" Rei said quickly, and hurried over to where Ishi was fussing over her granddaughter.

The Midnight examined Kurai's wounds, before rushing over to the hovercraft and taking out a medical bag. He hurried back over to Kurai and began cleaning her shoulder. The wound wasn't as deep as it felt, and only needed a medicated bandage and some gauze.

Once Kurai had been tended to, Rei was ordered to see to anyone else who was wounded. He was told of Adelicia, and was led into the hive to see to her.

"Adelicia's wounded? How?" Hoshi asked.

"Is that the sweet girl you've told me so much about, Hoshi? Oh, I do hope she's all right…" Ishi said.

"And what… Are these corpses? Why are there corpses… Wait, is that one Meisai?" Hoshi asked, walking over to examine the body.

"The fake Shadow? Yeah…sort of…"

"And is this another Yautja? What happened to him? What the hell went on here? I just talked to you less than an hour ago!" Hoshi said, looking at the carnage.

"Believe me, Grandpa; it's a long ass story–OUCH!" Kurai's sentence was cut off by Ishi, who had given her a smack upside the head.

"Don't swear." she said simply, as Kurai rubbed her head.

"Why not? You swear all the time!" Kurai said.

"I didn't go to a top college; you're better than that! Show that you have a 180 IQ, for fuck's sake!"

"Your grandma said "fuck"…" Taki snickered, before being smacked.

"Ow! Shit!" Taki said, and was smacked again.

"We can do this all day…" Ishi warned, as Taki seemed abut to curse again. Taki quieted down and went over to pout.

"Jim's not going to be happy about that, I'll bet…" Hoshi muttered, probably to bring some sanity back to the situation.

"How so?" Taki asked, looking up from his brooding.

"Rei's going to upstage him…big time." Kurai said.

"He was a very good doctor before he came to work with us…" Ishi said.

"Adelicia will be up and around in no time, with Rei helping her." Hoshi said.

"Well, that's one problem taken care of…now we need to talk about a couple more…" Kurai muttered, and began to lead her grandparents into the hive.

"Wait; what'll we do with these two? They'll start to reek in a couple of hours…" Taki asked.

"As soon as Rei's done with Adelicia, I'll have him and the other two Shadows take care of the bodies." Hoshi said.

"Hey, Grandpa… The Yautja… Make sure to have his corpse burned…and not on the same fire as Meisai…he deserves better." Kurai said. Somehow, she felt as though she owed the young male at least the dignity of a decent funeral pyre.

Hoshi nodded, and the group–enlarged by two more members–walked into the hive to rehash their stories.

Meanwhile…

"I'LL KILL EVERY ONE OF YOU! YOUR HIDES WILL HANG FROM MY WALLS AND ADORN MY FLOORS! YOUR SKULLS WILL HANG FROM MY TROPHY CASE!"

Aru had woken up, and was now screaming at Makoto and a few more Xenos who had been drawn by the noise. They watched in an oddly twisted amusement as the Yautja roared curses and oaths that could make his deities cover their ears.

"He's making trouble…can we kill him?" Makoto asked, raking his claws down the stone wall, which made Aru go quiet for a moment, then began screaming oaths again.

"Not unless he becomes dangerous… Let him scream all he wants…" Shisome said patiently. In truth, the Yautja's threats were beginning to get on her nerves. She didn't really think much of Aru's threats, until he somehow managed to get one hand free of the resin, and began tearing large chunks of it off.

"Makoto!" Shisome cried, and the Praetorian responded immediately by injecting another dose of his venom into Aru's neck. The Yautja screamed for a couple of minutes more, before lapsing into unconsciousness again.

"All right, that's pretty troubling; wouldn't you agree, my Queen?" Makoto said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Shisome, although she was well away from the danger, found herself to be trembling a bit.

"Yes… If he's allowed to live for too much longer, there's no telling what he'll be capable of… I hate to do it, but there's no other choice…" the last part sounded like Shisome was saying it to herself.

"What do you want me to do, my Queen?" Makoto asked, looking at Aru.

"I want you…to come and get the egg I just laid." Shisome replied.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer – Don't own it.

Sorry I've been gone so long; I was on a huge roll with my District 9 story.

Chapter 11

"So that's the story… I hope I'm not leaving anything out; so much sh–sorry, crap–has happened since I've joined Ko's clan it's hard to keep everything straight." Kurai said.

They were in an empty room of the hive. Rei had tended to Adelicia's wounds, and she and Makoto were sitting with the group. Adelicia leaned against Makoto, who had lain down for the purpose. He had just come from talking with Shisome about something that seemed rather important; for he gently brushed off the attempts his mate made to ask him about it. Rei was standing quietly behind Kurai's grandparents, surveying the scene with an unknowable expression behind his mask.

"And Stone came back?" Kurai's grandmother asked.

"Yeah."

"And those two…Yautja, right?...they were here because they thought that the three of you were some kind of criminals?"

"Correct." Ko said.

"My God…will this madness never stop?" Hoshi said quietly.

"Not until we take Stone down." Kurai said quietly.

"_**Uhm, Kurai…I need to speak with you…"**_ Shisome said quietly, to Kurai alone.

"Shisome, we're busy." Kurai said.

"But, it's quite important…" the Queen insisted, sounding urgent.

"I'm sure it can wait until we're done with our brainstorming session."

"_**Well, maybe a couple of hours, if I ask…but I'll have to keep him asleep…"**_ Shisome said thoughtfully.

"What are you talking about?" Kurai asked out loud.

"What?" Hoshi asked.

"We weren't saying anything…" Taki replied, looking at his friend.

"Not you; Shisome."

"She wasn't talking to us…" Taki said, looking perplexed.

"_**What did she want?"**_ Makoto asked, surprised and slightly offended that his Queen would speak to Kurai alone.

"I don't know… What did you want, Shisome?" the human asked.

"_**Well…do you remember how you told us to "take care" of that Aru person if he started causing trouble?"**_ the Queen asked.

"Yeah…" Kurai said, not liking where the conversation was going.

"_**Well…"**_ she began, but was interrupted by Ishi.

"So, what will you tell Ko's clan if they ask about those two being gone?" the older woman asked.

"They'll likely not ask; normally, we can go off when and where we please. If we die, we die; the clan doesn't avenge us, and they usually don't ask questions." Ko explained.

"The biggest problem is explaining to Oriki's mom how he died." Kurai said quietly.

"_**Kurai, I really think that we need to talk about–"**_ Shisome began gently.

"Who says that we have to tell her anything?" Taki asked.

"He asked us to; it's the honorable thing to do." Ko stated firmly.

"Honorable, yes; but how the hell are we going to explain how he died? We can't tell her about Aru." Kurai said, and noticed her grandmother giving her a warning look.

"We could…editing out the Xenomorphs, of course… We'll just say that Aru got paranoid, followed us, and killed Oriki. Simplicity itself." Taki suggested.

"_**Kurai, please!"**_ Shisome insisted, and Makoto reacted.

"_**Kurai! My Queen wishes your attention!"**_ the Praetorian said firmly.

"What is it, Shisome?" Kurai asked, a bit harsher than she should have, making Makoto hiss loudly.

"_**Now that's it! Don't brush me off as though I've nothing important to say!"**_ the Queen said, offended.

"I'm sorry…" Kurai said, feeling instantly ashamed. Shisome seemed to sense this, and calmed down.

"_**I was trying to tell you that–"**_ she was interrupted again; this time by a loud, screaming roar.

"What the _fuck_?" Taki exclaimed, and was subsequently smacked by Ishi.

"What was that?" Ko asked, grabbing his combi-stick.

"_**That was what I needed to speak with you about, Kurai…"**_ Shisome said.

"_**Ah, that was it! You needn't have been so eager to discuss it, my Queen."**_ Makoto said, relaxing a bit.

"_**I just thought that she should know before the others."**_

"Know what?" Kurai asked, not liking being out of the loop.

"_**Well, as I was saying; the one called Aru was becoming dangerous, so we…or I, as it were…well, I…"**_ she stammered for a way to explain things.

"_**Follow me; I'll show you."**_ Makoto took over.

The Praetorian picked up Adelicia, despite her protestations that she could walk, and led the group to a secluded chamber. He stopped just short and gently sat his mate down.

"_**You shouldn't see this, love."**_ he said quietly.

"Makoto, what…?" she began, but he hushed her.

"_**Please, trust me."**_ he said, and she sighed and nodded.

Leaving Adelicia to sit outside, he took the group into the chamber just in time to see…

"BY THE GODS!" Ko cried, pulling out his combi-stick.

"FUCK ME!" Taki yelled, but Ishi didn't have the presence of mind to hit him.

"Oh, my…" Hoshi said quietly, covering his mouth with a handkerchief.

They had come just in time to see Aru's final moments of life. He was plastered to the wall, screaming in agony; the reason apparent to all. His chest bulged outward for a moment, then a shower of glowing green blood coated the room, including the people in it. Kurai shut her eyes a second before and, upon opening them, was the first to see it.

There, in a pile of gore that had been expelled from the now-dead Yautja, was the small chestburster. It let out a scream, and whether it was a triumphant cry or a method of clearing its lungs, Kurai didn't know.

"Christ, Shisome…" the human woman whispered. It was one thing talking about Xeno births, but quite another to see them.

"_**I wanted to tell you alone, so that it wouldn't–"**_ the female began, but was interrupted by another scream; this one human.

The group turned to see Adelicia framed in the doorway, her face a mask of horror and disgust.

"_**cause a panic."**_ the Queen continued, as Adelicia fled the scene as fast as she could, sobbing uncontrollably.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 12**

"_**Oh, no… Addie!"**_ Makoto exclaimed, taking off after his mate.

"Crap…" Kurai said, leaning against the cavern wall, as the little chestburster slithered over toward them.

"Aw, it's cute!" Ishi said, bending down to look at the tiny Xenomorph, who hissed slightly.

"She's right; it kind of is… Aw! It's got little mandibles like yours, Ko!" Taki said, bending down next to Ishi. The little Xeno looked around, as though not sure what to make of the situation.

"Don't you dare compare me to that…_thing_!" Ko roared, startling them all.

"What's wrong? I know it was pretty freaky just now, but you of all people should be able to handle stuff like that." Kurai said, gradually getting over her initial shock.

"I can handle seeing kiande amedha born from other creatures and Oomans; that doesn't bother me in the least! This creature is an abomination to both our species! Yautja are obligated by the honor code to kill any of these we come across!" Ko snarled, taking a step toward the small creature, his weapon raised.

"_**You will NOT!"**_ Shisome said, her voice truly forceful for the first time since Kurai had met her.

"Shisome, I can understand if you had to deal with Aru; but creating that monstrosity is unforgivable! I cannot show my face back at the clan knowing that I let such a thing live!" the Yautja argued.

"_**Then don't show your face at your clan; but you're not going to lay a hand on the little one, Ko!"**_ the Queen said, with an audible growl.

"And if I do?" Ko asked, sounding a lot less brave now.

"_**Do you wish to find out?"**_ Shisome asked quietly. In a moment, they heard a sound above them, and looked up to see at least ten Drones on the ceiling. Although Kurai wasn't likely to be attacked, she still felt herself grow cold looking at the deadly creatures above them; their claws and teeth glistening in the faint light.

"Yamamoto-san…" Rei said quietly, drawing a sword at his belt.

"Put your weapon away, Rei; it won't come to that." Hoshi said, but never took his eyes off the ceiling.

"Enough of this crap!" Kurai said, frustration and annoyance shattering the last remnants of horror.

"Both of you; knock it off! Ko, put your weapon away and go outside! Shisome, you can tell them it's okay. You're acting like freaking kids! A Yautja hunter and a Xenomorph Queen…please! Act like you've got some freaking sense!" Kurai barked.

"Kurai, you're not condoning what she did?" Ko asked, looking at her in astonishment.

"No; but you're not going to kill this little guy just because he's born from one of your species! You didn't even get this freaked out when Shisome impregnated me! And I don't appreciate that comment about it not bothering you when Xenos are born from humans! You can just wait outside until Shisome says you can come back in!"

"Kurai, these are ancient rules; and you're obligated to obey them, too! You took the chiva, you brought home the Queen skull; you bear the mark of the Silver Crescent clan! As do you, Taki! The two of you should be supporting me!"

"We don't support you when you're being an ass!" Taki said.

"I'm thinking of the welfare of the entire Yautja species!" Ko shot back.

"And being an ass." Taki stated.

"_**Serious ass."**_ Shisome muttered.

"_**Total ass."**_ one of the Xenos above them could be heard remarking.

"See?" Taki said.

"Now go outside while we sort this out!" Kurai said, pointing in the general direction of the exit.

"But, I–" Ko began.

"OUTSIDE!" Kurai yelled.

Ko said nothing, but growled loudly and headed for the door.

"Sorry about that, Shisome… I had no idea that he'd freak out like that." Kurai apologized.

"_**It's fine… I just need to make sure Ko doesn't get to the young one before he's old enough to properly defend himself."**_ the Queen replied quietly.

"Speaking of…" Taki said, bending down again and looking at the chestburster, who had apparently been watching the activity with some interest.

"Hey… How's it going?" he asked, extending a finger to touch the little creature. It hissed loudly and snapped its tiny mandibles at the human man.

"Whoa!" Taki said, recoiling as the little Xeno screeched at him.

"Aw, what's wrong?" Kurai asked, bending down to the chestburster's level.

She extended a hand, as if to pet it, hoping to get a better reaction. It snarled, but then seemed to realize something, and leaned into her touch, purring as loud at it could.

"Cute…" Kurai said, and picked the baby up. It purred as she held it, and rubbed its head against her chest.

"He likes me…" she muttered.

"_**It would appear so…"**_ Shisome responded thoughtfully.

"_**Well, she's in her room crying…but she's calmed down a bit."**_ Makoto said, re-entering the room.

"Is she going to be all right?" Taki asked.

"_**I think so… I really didn't want her to see that…she's so sensitive…"**_ he muttered.

"Well, it's all over now…here's the result." Kurai said, holding the young chestburster out to the Praetorian. Makoto came over to inspect it, and it growled at him, before resting its head against Kurai's chest again.

"_**How odd… I've never seen one like that before… Though, I suppose it's because I've never met a Yautja before Ko."**_

"Speaking of…" Taki said, but Shisome cut him off.

"**Not now."** she said.

"_**What are you talking about?"**_ the Praetorian asked.

"_**Later…when you can't get your hands on Ko…"**_ the Queen said, and Makoto let the matter drop. Kurai couldn't help but think that she'd be hearing about this later.

"_**So, what do we do with him?" Kurai asked, looking down at the chestburster, who had fallen asleep.**_

"_**I'll have someone get him something to eat so he can grow. He'll be back with you before tomorrow."**_ Shisome replied. In a moment, one of the Drones from the ceiling dropped down and gently took the baby from Kurai. Another two of them began taking Aru's corpse down and took it away; presumably far from the hive where it wouldn't rot so close to the place.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 13**

"Man, what a day…" Kurai muttered, sinking against the wall in Shisome's chamber.

It had been about three hours since the chestburster had been born. Ko was still outside fuming, while Taki and Ishi were passing the time by playing a game with a–possibly loaded–pair of dice that the older woman had provided.

Makoto had gone back to comfort his mate, and hadn't come back yet, and the rest the hive had gone back to their daily activities. Jim and Rei were discussing some medical thing or other, with Jim doing most of the talking, with Lee standing off to the side, watching the Shadow with some interest.

"Crap!" Taki said, as he apparently lost again.

"Stop playing with her; you always lose…" Hoshi said, looking up from where he was talking to one of he Shadows on the ship about something or other.

"She's cheating!" Taki said, and Ishi smacked him.

"How dare you accuse an old woman of cheating? I've never cheated in my life!" she said indignantly.

"I'm not playing with you anymore…" Taki pouted, and went over to sand beside Shisome, who was apparently finding the whole scene amusing.

Ishi, meanwhile, went to sit beside her granddaughter.

"Were you cheating, Grandma?" Kurai asked, looking at the older woman, who pocketed her dice.

"Of course…that's how I always win, dear." she smiled.

"Why do you do that to him?"

"Well, I figure that I can get a few more games out of him before he finally snaps and takes us all out in our sleep." Ishi said thoughtfully, as Taki climbed up onto Shisome's back and scratched her behind the huge crest on her head. The Queen had been rather quiet since her argument with Ko, and the attention seemed to make her feel a little better.

"You're insane; you know that, right?" Kurai said, stifling a laugh.

"That's where you get it, you know. Your mom was the same way when she was your age… I see you're still wearing the ribbon…" the older woman observed, changing to a more solemn tone.

"Yeah… You know about the promise I made to Mom. As soon as I fulfill it, I'll take it off."

"You know, I really never believed you'd follow through with it, but it seems like you really intend to. What does Taki think about it?"

"Taki thinks I should tell Ko, but I don't know of Ko would understand…" Kurai said, looking away.

"Talk to him; you won't know what he understands until you do. You really seem to care about him, but you're not giving him nearly enough credit."

"What do you think of him?" the younger woman asked, changing the subject.

"Well, he's actually the kind of guy I expected you to end up with…"

"An alien?" Kurai asked.

"No… He just seems…interesting…temperamental, but interesting."

"He's usually not like that… Believe me, his culture takes some getting used to, but I think I'm doing okay. Crap, I've still got to get him to make peace with Shisome…" she said, not looking forward to that.

"What was that about, anyway? All we could hear was some growling and clicking, and you talking to Shisome…"

"I've got no idea, but I'm sure he's going to explain it to me later…endlessly. He's sweet, but he can be really uptight when he wants to be."

"Just like your grandpa… I've had to explain it to people before, but he's really a very nice old fart." Ishi said, looking at her husband.

"What was that, dear?" Hoshi asked, apparently he was listening more than they'd realized.

"I said you're a nice old fart!" Ishi said louder, making the rest of the people in the room look at her, another look made them go about their business.

"Oh…all right then." Hoshi muttered, and went back to his phone.

"Well, I'd better go talk to Ko…I guess I need to get it over with before the new Xeno makes its appearance." Kurai said, standing up and brushing some dirt from her behind.

"Best to get it out of the way now." Ishi said.

"What are you going to do?" the younger woman asked, looking at her grandmother.

"I'm going to either try to go to sleep or win some more money from Taki."

"You're crazy, Grandma…" Kurai said, and bent down to hug the old woman, before heading out to find Ko.

_A little later…_

"There you are! I was about to go to the ship and see if you went back there." Kurai said, as she approached the Yautja.

He was sitting on a fallen log, apparently doing a systems check with his wrist computer.

"What do you want with me?" Ko asked, rather coldly.

"I was wondering if you were done pouting and wanted to come back inside with the grownups." the human said, crossing her arms.

"Don't make light of this, Kurai." Ko said darkly, putting the screen of his wrist computer down to stare coldly at her.

"What's the big deal? I would rather have talked to Shisome before she laid the egg and everything, but…" Kurai began.

"Kurai, you don't understand the consequences of what Shisome did!" Ko growled.

"I do understand that you treated her pretty badly. Are you crazy? Did you really intend to go fight her?"

"I don't know…maybe… Where is the abomination?" he asked.

"I wouldn't call him that, but he's probably sleeping somewhere. You're not going to try to kill him, are you?"

"I have to." Ko said shortly.

"Why? You said I don't know the consequences; just tell me why you're so adamant to kill this one, and not the others." Kurai said quietly, sitting down beside the Yautja.

"Why is it important? Why can't you just support me in this?"

"Because you're acting like a crazy asshole." Kurai said flatly, earning her a glare from the hunter.

"You want to know? Very well… The creature that was born from Aru is an abomination to both species. It will have the ability to impregnate hosts without a Queen… Do you understand the connotation of that? No hive, no Queen, and it can use multiple embryos for one host. An unstoppable force, if left to multiply on its own."

"Not if Shisome doesn't allow it to be." Kurai suggested.

"The kiande amedha that come from Yautja have a somewhat weaker connection to their Queen than normal ones. Evolutionarily speaking, there's no need for them to have any connection at all. The only reason Makoto and the others obey Shisome is because she keeps the species going; there's likely no emotional reason for them to follow orders. The Queen is only useful to the hive and species as long as she's fertile; then it's time for a new one to assume the throne. Don't you understand? If there is another kiande amedha with the potential to create a new hive, things here will turn to anarchy."

"Ko, I think you're worrying over nothing…" Kurai said, in an attempt to console the hunter.

"Kurai, I've been told what to do if ever I come across a situation like this! Are you going to tell me that you'll stand in my way on this?"

"If what you plan on doing will hurt Shisome and others, yes! Look, if you don't like the Xeno, don't come with me to Pluvia anymore; but I'm not going to let you kill it. Just try to go with things for now; we'll probably be off after Stone in a day or so." Kurai put her hand on Ko's shoulder, feeling the muscles tense at her touch.

"Kurai…fine. If we can be off this planet within the next day or two, I'll…go with it…but if that creature makes so much as one move that I deem threatening, I'll have its head on my wall, Shisome or no."

"I'm sure there'll be no trouble." Kurai said, lifting her hand to Ko's face. He purred, seemingly despite himself, and leaned into her touch.

Kurai, taking the opportunity to ease the tension–but probably create some more–rose from her sitting position to kiss the large male, which made him purr more and, with one movement, put her on his lap.

They continue on like this until Ko heard someone coming toward them. Quickly, he put Kurai back down on the log and acted like he was doing some kind of maintenance on his combi-stick.

"Kurai! Ko!"

"It's Taki…" Kurai said, rising to meet her friend.

"Hey, the Xeno's about to come out of its cocoon; are you gonna come meet it?" the human male asked.

"Yeah; I want to see this…Ko?" Kurai asked, looking at the Yautja.

"Fine." he said shortly, and rose to follow them.

They walked back to the hive, and into Shisome's chamber, where the newest member of the hive stood in the middle of the room.

The creature had many of the same traits of a Xenomorph, but was noticeably Yautja as well. It had a domed head, long tendrils hanging down to its shoulders. Its mouth was surrounded by mandibles, which clicked slightly as the three came into the room. It was built somewhat like a Yautja; but was still very thin. It had the customary Xenomorph tail, which swished back and forth through the air. The creature was a grey-black color, but had darker black spots here and there, a remnant of its Yautja "parent".

The creature looked at Ko, then Taki, before finally fixing its eyeless gaze on Kurai. It let out an odd little half-purr, and, before anyone could do anything, made a run at Kurai, grabbing her and pinning her to the floor.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 14**

"_What the hell?"_ Kurai thought, a second before the huge Xeno pinned her to the ground.

"_Am…am I going to die?"_ she thought, as the creature lowered its head nearer to her face. She got her answer in a moment.

"_**Hello lovely…"**_ a deep, oddly sensual voice rang in her head. The ebony creature lowered his head and gave Kurai a little nibble on her neck, sending an unfamiliar and delicious shiver running through her.

"Wh-what?" she said, looking at the Xenomorph.

"KURAI!" Ko cried, and before she could look in his direction, he had lunged at the hive's newest member, dislodging him from Kurai and landing a few feet away.

"The hell?" Kurai said, quickly getting to her feet and rushing over to the two. Ko was now trying to pin the hybrid to the ground, while the other was hissing furiously and trying hard to get up.

"Are you all right, Miss Kurai?" Rei asked, unsheathing a katana and watching the scuffle on the floor.

"I'm fine; I can handle this, Rei!" Kurai replied, before turning her attention back to the two aliens in combat.

"How dare you!" Ko was snarling, flicking out his wristblades and taking aim at the Xenomorph's throat.

"_**KO!"**_ Shisome yelled, her anger apparent.

"_Shit!"_ Kurai thought, a second before she made a lunge of her own; at Ko.

She managed to dislodge the Yautja, landing with him a couple of feet away. He looked at her, stunned, as the Xeno got to his feet.

"Are you insane?" Kurai hissed.

"I'd ask you the same question!" Ko said, before the hybrid drew nearer to him, hissing angrily.

"He wasn't going to hurt me!" she said, keeping her eyes on the large black creature.

"_**But I am going to hurt him…"**_ the Xenomorph said quietly in her head.

"Leave him alone; he's just overprotective." Kurai replied quickly, bracing herself for a fight.

The Xenomorph looked at her for a moment, then back at Ko, and back to her.

"_**Very well… You're not worth losing because of him."**_ he said, and turned away from the Yautja.

"What?" Kurai asked, confused, but the hybrid was walking over to Shisome.

"_**My Queen…and a lovely one you are…"**_ he purred, rubbing his head against one of Shisome's smaller arms.

"_**Oh, my…"**_ Shisome said, a little shyly.

"What is he up too? Was he just hitting on you?" Taki asked, hurrying over to his friend. They watched as the Queen and the younger male conversed quietly.

"I…I think so…"

"Whoa…weirdness…" the other human replied.

"I'll kill him… His head will hang on my wall before I leave this planet! I swear it by Paya!" Ko was snarling with rage as he went to check that Kurai was all right. His amber eyes never left the hybrid, who was now introducing himself to one of the Praetorians; the female, by the way he seemed to act. For some reason, this one seemed to be especially interested in the female population around him… Kurai suddenly hit on a name.

"Aiyoku…" she said thoughtfully.

"I'll say…" Taki muttered, as the female Praetorian submissively let the male inspect her; right in public.

"Aiyoku?" Ko asked, looking at the humans.

"It means "passion, love, or lust"; I think it fits him." Kurai explained, as the female led the male out of the room.

"Damn; he works fast!" Taki observed, sounding a little jealous.

"You shouldn't name him; it'll make it that much harder when I kill him!" Ko growled, his fists clenching in rage.

"Oh, chill out; he could have killed me if he'd wanted to! It's the same deal as before; we'll be out of here in a couple of days and I'll never bring you back here if you don't want to come back! Just be cool until then; I'm not sure I can stop Shisome from killing you!" Kurai reprimanded, before leaving Ko's side to go speak with the Queen.

"Shisome… I'm sorry about Ko…" she began quietly.

"_**Kurai…unless he can act like a civilized adult, I believe it would be best for him to wait on your ship. I can't have him going off like that on members of my hive…"**_ she replied sternly.

"I understand; I thought I had talked some sense into him, but it appears not…but what happened a second ago…it won't happen again. I'll drag him back to the ship myself, if I have to." Kurai said, hoping for the best. She really couldn't blame Shisome for being worried; Ko really was making a nuisance of himself lately. She'd have to have a very long talk with him…

"_**I suppose… Just please…keep him in line. I don't want this to happen again."**_ the Queen said, sounding a little tired.

"It won't…" Kurai promised, looking over her shoulder at Ko.

She turned and walked over to her grandfather, who was apparently reprimanding Rei.

"…and how could you let this happen, Rei? You're one of the best Midnights I've ever known…Kurai could have been killed!" he was saying, while Rei hung his head in shame.

"Take it easy, grandpa; it's not his fault." Kurai said.

"All right; dismissed, Rei." Hoshi said, and Rei bowed and excused himself.

"You all right, Grandpa?" Kurai asked, noticing that the old man was a little pale.

"I'm fine…I thought that that creature was going to…"

"So did I, for a minute…" she replied, as her grandmother came to see her.

"Are you all right? I nearly had a heart attack when you hit the ground! Maybe I should have the Shadows teach him a lesson…" this last part Ishi seemed to say to herself.

"I'm okay; but I've got to admit that I'm a little shaken up. Leave him alone; we don't need to get Shisome any more wound up than she already is." the younger woman advised, seeing that the Queen was acting a little nervous.

"All right; but if something like this happens again, Rei will take action." Hoshi said flatly.

"You must be insane; as good as Rei is, a hive full of Xenomorphs is no place to be brandishing weapons. Just let me handle this, okay, grandpa?" Kurai said pleadingly. She valued Shisome as a friend, and didn't want that friendship to end because Ko couldn't act like an adult.

Hoshi and Ishi nodded, and Kurai went back over to Ko, who had gone over to one side of the room to fume silently.

"Ko…Shisome wants you to stay in the ship…" she began, and Ko looked at her sharply.

"What! I was protecting you; she can't make me go–" he began, but was cut off by Kurai, who put up her hand to silence him.

"It's her home, Ko; and I can make you go to the ship. Honestly, I agree with Shisome; if you can't get along with the Xenomorphs, it's best that you stay away from here."

"You're not taking the side of a kiande amedha over me, are you?"

"You're acting like a complete ass; so yeah! I'm not going to risk getting into a fight with Shisome over something stupid like this, Ko!" Kurai hissed.

"You should be more worried about that abomination! Even after what I told you, you're still not convinced that the creature needs to die?"

"It's not your place to kill him, Ko! We've got more important things to worry about now; like the crazy bitch who attacked us earlier! Now, I think that you should do what Shisome suggested and go back to the ship." Kurai said, trying to sound calm.

"You can't be serious!" Ko protested.

"I am serious, Ko! Here's the remote, I'll come get you later, if Shisome says it's okay. Until then, I'll talk to Aiyoku."

"I still can't believe you're naming that thing…" Ko fumed.

"If Shisome agrees to the name, yeah. Now go; we'll talk later when everyone's calmed down a little." Kurai said, and walked back over to Shisome.

Ko let out a whining growl, but walked out of the room.

"Shisome… Ko's gone back to the ship; I'm going to go later, too, to talk some sense into him." Kurai said quietly, approaching the Queen.

"_**Thank you; I don't like to be harsh, but I really can't have Ko killing my subordinates." **_Shisome replied, sounding as though she was a little frazzled. The stress of the whole situation was getting to the Queen, and she seemed as though a little quiet would do her good.

"Uhm, Shisome… Have you thought of a name for him yet?" Kurai asked, meaning the hybrid.

"_**No…another lack of planning on my part, I suppose. Do you have any suggestions?"**_ she sounded rather hopeful.

"Well… Aiyoku." Kurai said, smiling sheepishly.

"_**What does it mean?"**_ Shisome asked.

"Lust." Kurai said simply.

Shisome gave a laughing hiss, startling a nearby Drone who had begun to pick pieces of resin from her body.

"_**It suits him…"**_ she said, looking in the direction that Aiyoku and the Praetorian female had gone.

"It's better than "Chikan"." Kurai pointed out.

"_**Which means?"**_

"Pervert."

Shisome laugh/hissed again, and a couple of the humans looked at her curiously.

"Hey, if you want, I'll get everyone out of here so you can get some rest." Kurai said a moment later.

"_**That would be nice, thank you."**_ the Queen said, the gratitude evident in her voice. Kurai nodded.

"Okay everyone, break it up! Let's go somewhere else; Shisome's tired, and so am I." the dark-haired woman said, turning to her friends and family.

"All right; we'd better get to the ship anyway. The corpses are taken care of, and there's nothing more we can do here tonight." Hoshi said, and he and his wife gave their granddaughter a hug.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Kurai. Make sure to set that guy of yours straight." Ishi said, gently tousling the younger's hair.

The two bade goodbye to everyone else, and left the room, with Rei following.

"Hey, Kurai; I'm going to be staying with–I mean, staying at the hive tonight." Taki said, but a look at Momo betrayed his intentions.

"All right; I can straighten out Ko without any witnesses…" his friend said, smiling wickedly.

"Hey, call me later and tell me how…Adelicia…is doing." Kurai said, picking up her mask and putting it on.

"Bye, Shisome. Don't worry; if and when Ko returns, he will be much better behaved." she assured, and the larger female nodded.

Kurai left the chamber and headed toward the entrance. She sighed as the cooling air hit her. She was really going to have to move if she wanted to get back to the ship before dark. Though the sun was just barely touching the horizon, Kurai was determined to get home before the light really started to dim; besides, the forest was darker than the open area, and would be totally black once the sun set entirely. Stretching briefly, she began jogging, thinking of what she'd say to Ko when she got back to the ship. She intended to call him on her data pad when she was about five minutes from the ship, so she wouldn't be stuck out there all night, or trying to find her way back to the hive in the dark.

Though she had never really been scared of the dark as a child, the fact that she was alone out in the forest on a strange world made her begin to sweat slightly. It was a primal kind of fear; left over from when her distant ancestors on Earth really did have something to be afraid of in the night. She didn't want to think of what could be watching her in the dense forest; so she began to think of what she'd say to the hunter who awaited her return.

As she went over the conversation in her mind, one thought kept prominence in her head; she and Ko would be alone. This thought filled her with a mix of excitement and apprehension. She hadn't really been alone with a member of the opposite sex–other than Taki–much before she'd come to Ko's clan. It was like two sides of her were having an argument in her head.

"_You shouldn't be alone with him…"_ one of them chided her in the voice of a proper older woman.

"_Forget that! You want it and you know it!"_ another voice taunted, sounding like a teasing teenager.

"_But you've got your good name to think about! No girl should lose her virginity to her first boyfriend!"_ the old woman voice scoffed.

"_You're a grown woman; you can make your own decisions!"_ the teen voice said.

"_But it's not proper for someone of your status! Is that the way the Yamamoto women act?"_

"_You're grandma wasn't a virgin when she married; neither was your mom!"_

"_What if he leaves you after?"_

"_You can castrate that fucker!"_

"_You need to think long-term; what if it messes up your friendship?"_

"_What if it leads to something more?"_

"_You should think about your reputation!"_

"_What reputation? You're not a whore for doing it once! You can't get pregnant, and you can't get a disease! You don't have to tell anyone! What are you waiting for? You know you want to!"_

"I do…" Kurai said quietly.

"_You love Ko; and he loves you, and you want it…" _the younger voice said again, and the older voice was silent.

"I want it… I fucking want it!" Kurai yelled, speeding up to a sprint.

Soon, she was in view of the ship; her idea of calling ahead long forgotten.

Quickly, she got out her data pad and called Ko, who answered almost immediately.

"Kurai, we must talk about some things!" the Yautja began, but Kurai spoke up.

"Ko, just let me in, okay?"

"Fine!" he huffed, and terminated the communication.

A second later, the door opened and the ramp extended, and Kurai sprinted up it and into the ship. The door closed behind her, and she took off her mask, put it on a nearby counter, and went to find Ko.

She didn't have to look long; the hunter was in the cockpit, arms folded and seemingly ready for an argument.

"Kurai, I–" he began, but was cut off as the human lunged at him, pulling him into a forceful kiss.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Okay, this is my first real attempt at a lemon; be nice, as my characters have more experience than I do! I'm going to try to keep this delicate, because it's not integral to the plot, and I've no idea how to write something like this! Remember, this is not a romance fic, and it's not Predator porn! Basically, I'm writing this because apparently people want to see Kurai and Ko get physical, to use a cliché, so sit back and enjoy the chapter! I don't want any reviews saying that this is unrealistic, because believe me; I took some real crap from people I actually know in the real world for writing this! My sister's still laughing, and some of my more pervy friends want pictures!**

**Note – Don't ask for pictures!**

**Chapter 15**

"Kurai…" Ko said, when the kiss ended and Kurai pulled away.

"Ko…I…I want you." the human panted, sounding less shy than she felt.

"What?" he asked, obviously confused.

"I want you…" Kurai repeated quietly.

"You know, there are other ways to win an argument…" the Yautja said, gently pushing her away and sitting in a nearby seat.

"Ko, let's leave the arguing for later…" Kurai said, surprised and a bit offended by the apparent rejection.

"Kurai, do you remember last time? I don't want to be interrupted again…I don't think I have enough willpower!" the hunter said, in an almost whining tone.

"But Ko…" Kurai said, climbing into his lap and bringing her chest to press against his, "Taki's spending the night at the hive tonight…" she whispered sensually, eliciting a guttural moan.

"Why?" he breathed.

"He's with Momo…doing what you want to be doing…" the human said suggestively, lightly brushing her lips over Ko's sensitive mouthparts. This got his attention, and he suddenly jumped back to reality.

"You're certain? You're absolutely certain that there will be no interruptions?" he asked, serious now.

"As far as I know… But, if you'd rather talk about Aiyoku and the Xenos, I can put my energy to use doing that. Besides…whatever you won't do, I can do myself…" Kurai said offhandedly, getting off Ko's lap and heading in the direction of her room. It took the larger being a moment to recover enough to get up and follow her.

"To hell with the kiande amedha!" he could be heard muttering, as he came up behind her and picked her up with one arm. Kurai stifled a laugh as she was carried through the hallways and to her room.

He deposited her just inside her door, and grabbed her in another passionate kiss.

"Ko…just…Ouch!" Kurai said, as her recent wounds protested the embrace.

"Are you all right?" Ko asked, concerned. He allowed her to get free, and she checked her shoulder. The bandages that Rei had put on the wound had a little blood showing through them, and she decided that it was time to use some Yautja technology.

"I'm okay; just give me a minute to take care of this." she said, and headed to the bathroom to use her medi-kit.

Putting the kit on the bathroom's stone counter, she opened it and took out a packet of a special cream that the medics had given her. It was supposed to be some sort of hyper-antibiotic, and would help wounds heal faster than normal.

First, she washed the wound with some disinfectant, and then applied the cream to the area. Luckily, the spot didn't bleed too much, and she wouldn't need the phial of coagulating solution that the kit contained.

Though the ointment didn't miraculously cause her wound to heal, the place did stop hurting almost immediately. The medics did say that the effect would be more pronounced in a human; so hopefully the injury would heal quickly and with no complications.

Once this was taken care of, Kurai realized that she looked and smelled awful. She'd walked through the jungle and been in a fight, all in one day; she needed a bath.

"Well, maybe a quick wash…" she muttered, stripping off her armor and clothes. Normally she wouldn't have left such valuable equipment lying on the bathroom floor, but tonight was a special occasion.

Running some water in the tub, she grabbed a rag and began hurriedly washing herself, finishing with an abbreviated hair washing. When she was finished, she quickly dried off and wondered whether or not she should just go out naked or put on her night clothes. At last, she decided on her robe, and slipped it on, shivering at the thought of what would soon be happening to her.

As she walked to the door, Kurai took a deep breath. Though she had to admit that she was aroused at the moment, she harbored no illusions of attaining any real pleasure tonight. From everything she'd read and heard from female acquaintances, the first time was uncomfortable at best; and that was with a normal human man…

She was about to open the door, when a knock made her draw her hand back.

"Kurai? Are you all right in there? Is your wound serious?" Ko asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, I'm…I'm about to come out… You didn't start without me, did you?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"No…you didn't do the same, did you?" Ko asked, sounding nervous.

Kurai laughed, and opened the door. Ko was standing on the other side, looking more shy than she'd ever seen him. Apparently, he'd taken the opportunity to run to his room and put on his night loincloth. The human could see that the knot wasn't tied quite as tightly this time; Ko had obviously learned from his past mistake.

"Kurai…" Ko said quietly, drawing her into an embrace. The huge alien leaned down and kissed the smaller being; a much gentler kiss than the ones they'd previously shared. Afterwards, he led her over to her pallet, where he pulled her down with him to the floor. They sat together for a few moments, before proceeding with matters.

Ko made the first move, making Kurai breathe a sigh of relief. Carefully, he began to remove her robe; being careful not to touch her injured shoulder. Kurai shivered as her skin was exposed to the cooler air, and Ko purred at the sight of her response, tossing the robe out of the way.

The Yautja gently stroked the human's face as he lowered his mouth to her neck. Kurai moaned as Ko gave her several sharp–but not painful–love bites. After a few moments, he lowered his hand to cup one of he small breasts, leaving Kurai to wonder if her small mounds could possibly be considered attractive to him. Apparently so; for he kept this up for awhile, possibly because he couldn't figure out what to do next. The human then decided to assume dominance.

Putting her hands on Ko's shoulders for leverage, Kurai got on her knees and gently pushed Ko back against her pillow. He was now lying on his back, with his soon-to-be-mate in a sort of half-sitting position on top. He put up no resistance to this; instead getting under the blanket and pulling it over the two of them.

Kurai trailed kisses down Ko's chest and belly, making the hunter groan and arch his back. Taking a deep breath, she moved to sit between his legs, and began to untie the knot of his loincloth. Above her, she could hear Ko getting more excited; whimpering in anticipation of the event to come.

After what seemed like an eternity, she got the knot undone, and began to remove the garment. As she did so, she half hoped that Taki would burst into the room. Her heart was beating faster, it seemed, than any other time in her life, and she knew that her face must have been a bright red color. Ko sat up to help her get the loincloth off, then laid back to let her admire him.

Basically, he was similar in shape to a human male; but quite a bit larger, leaving Kurai to wonder if this was even physically possible; she also noticed that Yautja didn't seem to practice circumcision. Though she was aware of the pain that her first "encounter" would bring, Kurai wasn't sure that she could accommodate her alien lover. Ko seemed to realize this as well, for in a moment, he spoke up.

"Kurai, perhaps we should speak to a medic before attempting this; it'll be a bit embarrassing, but at least we'll know if it's safe to try it."

"No… We've come this far…" Kurai reassured, sounding more confident than she felt. To prove it, she impulsively took Ko into her hand and firmly stroked his length, finding that he'd grown quite firm over the past few minutes. His body responded by growing into her hand; he was ready.

The reaction was instantaneous; any doubts the hunter might have had were overshadowed by the mere instance of pleasure. With a determined growl, Ko somehow managed–gently–to flip the human over onto her back and kenlt between her knees. Kurai was pleasantly shocked, as she had been going over ways to keep things going at a smooth pace. She tried not to laugh as Ko spread her legs to have a look at her, his eyes going wide.

It took him a moment, but he seemed to figure things out; and carefully, almost fearfully, stroked the small, sensitive mound of flesh, making the human gasp.

"Are you all right? Did I hurt you?" he asked quickly, drawing his hand quickly back.

"N-no… Whoa…" she breathed, regretting that this was going to hurt so much.

"It's just… I don't know much about females; Oomans especially… Please understand; I've never been with a female, so I'm not experienced in…foreplay." he admitted sheepishly.

"It's okay… Go on…"

"Very well… Uhm… Do you…do you have something I could put under us? I was reading about this and…it seems there's some blood…" he said, sounding more uncomfortable about talking about than she was about experiencing it.

"Bathroom…" she muttered, hoping "some blood" wouldn't mean she'd need a transfusion or something.

Ko quickly got up and went to the bathroom, returning a moment later with a clean towel, which he put under the dark-haired human's lower regions.

"Kurai, I hope you know…that I'd never hurt you…but this…I mean, tonight…" he began, sounding very nervous.

"It's okay… We've got to practice before we get better, right?" Kurai reassured.

"Right… All right then…if you're ready…" he said quietly, and gathered himself up between her legs, getting into position.

He kissed her on the neck as moved a little, trying to make things comfortable. At last, Kurai felt Ko's warm member pressing against her entrance, and found it amusing that the only thought she had was as to how he'd remained hard all this time. He reached out and squeezed her hand, concern showing in his honey-colored eyes. The human took another deep breath, and nodded; signaling him to press forward.

With one gentle, determined movement, Ko pushed his member into Kurai's body. The human gasped; she'd not expected so much pain! It was as though someone were tearing her apart from the inside! Despite herself, she let out a little cry of pain, making Ko glance quickly down at her.

"If you want me to stop…" he said, looking truly concerned.

"No!" she said, more sure than she felt. Her lower half was protesting the stretching it was getting; and Ko had barely entered her at all!

Ko nodded, and, inch by inch, moved forward, until he was fully inside his lover.

Kurai bit her lip to keep from crying out; how did women come to like this? She scolded herself quietly; she'd been stabbed, impaled and shot at, surely she could handle this!

The Yautja waited a moment, until the human got used to his size, and tentatively pulled out a little, and thrust forward again; but slowly, so as not to hurt her more than necessary. After a minute or two, he got a steady rhythm going, and seemed to begin enjoying himself, if the little chirps and clicks were any indication.

Kurai, now that the pain had gone away a little, began to relax. It wasn't pleasant, but not quite as bad as it had been. She was sure that she could like this once she got used to it. The best part of the whole experience was being so close to Ko. He was purring and moaning her name, and rubbing his face against her neck, and she responded by wrapping her legs around his hips.

Some time passed, and Ko's movements became faster; he was getting ready to peak. In another moment, Ko thrust forward harder than he had all night, arching his back and roaring loudly. A warmth spread throughout Kurai's lower regions, and she breathed a little sigh of contentment and relief. The pain had gone from a burning to a dull throb, and it was beginning to ebb away.

Ko lay heavily on the human for a few minutes, panting and enjoying his afterglow. When he'd recovered, his attention turned immediately to Kurai. Purring quietly, he kissed her lightly everywhere he could reach, whispering in his language. She caught the words "forever" and "wonderful", and responded by meeting him in a deep kiss of her own. Removing himself from her, he got out from under the blanket to remove the towel. His eyes grew wide when he saw the towel, and looked back to her.

"Everything okay?" she asked, sitting up.

"I…I don't… Kurai, you said I'd be your first, yes?" Ko asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, there's not any…" Ko said quietly, showing her the towel, which, although showing clear signs of Ko's efforts, was spotless.

"Huh… So that's what that was…" Kurai said thoughtfully.

"What?" Ko asked, looking at the human.

"Well, when I was about fifteen, I was practicing some Judo in the backyard and felt something down there. I went to look and found some blood. I just brushed it off as me forgetting about my period or something and changed underwear. I'd forgotten about it until now." she explained offhandedly.

"I suppose…that makes sense." Ko said.

"So…was it good?" Kurai asked, hoping that he'd had a better experience than she had.

"I've never felt more pleasure." the male said quietly, his tone going from sheepish to tender.

He moved to kiss her again, and the two cuddled for a while, until Kurai suggested that they take a bath.

Getting up, Ko carefully helped his lover to her feet. Kurai was a little sore, but she was sure that a soak would help her with that. The male helped her to the bathroom, depositing the towel in the laundry chute as he passed it, and began to run the water.

A few minutes later, the large tub was full, and the two hopped in. Kurai sat down and spread her legs, relief flowing through her. Ko sat beside her, gathering her up in his arms and resting his head against her neck. The human felt herself growing sleepy, and Ko seemed to be feeling the same way. They finished washing and dried themselves off, before going back into the bedroom. The two fell asleep in each other's arms, with Ko keeping Kurai's hand in his throughout the night.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer – Don't own it**

**Okay, seriously, I thought I'd get quite a few reviews with that last chapter, even though it wasn't really relevant to the plot! So here's the new rule; from now on, at least two reviews per chapter! I'll still write the chapters, but I need at least two reviews before I put them up! Just a "good job" or something, is all I'm asking! Offer constructive criticism, ask for an update, and ask questions about the series and its characters, if you want! Come on, people; you'd think a lemon would get more than two reviews! I mean, crap! It's not asking so much, is it? I swear, if this one doesn't get any reviews, NO MORE SEXY FOR YOU!**

**A/N: Yeah, this another sexy chapter that has NOTHING to do with the plot. Hope you enjoy it, because there won't be a lot of these...but probably one between Makoto and Adelicia in the sequel to Starting Over.**

**Chapter 16**

Kurai woke up with Ko still purring in her ear. She sighed contentedly and turned to press her face against his chest.

"Good morning…" the Yautja rumbled a few moments later; apparently her moving had wakened him.

"Morning… Did you sleep all right?" Kurai asked, unsure what people talked about the morning after losing their virginity.

"Of course; I was with you." he replied, nuzzling the top of her head. They lay like this for awhile, occasionally shifting positions for comfort, until Kurai decided to get up and take a bath.

She rose, biting her lip at the dull pain between her legs (she'd probably be sore down there for awhile), and made her way to the bathroom. She heard Ko rise to follow her a moment later. Running the water, she slipped into the tub, sighing happily. Despite the events of the day before, and those that had proceeded it, she felt rather at ease; for the moment, at least, she could let herself relax.

"Do you wish me to help you bathe?" Ko asked.

"All right…" Kurai said, handing him a rag, which he used to gently wash her back. She was truly amazed that a creature such as Ko, who came from a culture where massive amounts of bloodshed was commonplace, could be so careful with a member of a race his species hunted for sport.

Ko finished washing her back, letting his hand wander across her body. She gasped in surprise as his hand found her breast, and again when he began to rub his thumb across the tip. She let herself enjoy this for a few minutes, her head becoming fuzzy with arousal.

The human was further surprised when Ko, with her still in his arms, sank back against the side of the tub, ending in him sitting with Kurai in his lap. She felt his mandibles against her neck, and gasped as he began giving little love-bites; not hard enough to be truly painful, but enough to get her attention.

"I feel I owe you something for last night…" he breathed, his tongue flicking her ear.

"Oh?" she breathed, reaching behind her to bring his head against her neck again.

"The pleasure was one-sided…it's not really fair… It wouldn't be honorable of me to allow such a thing…not with you…" he whispered. She was about to ask what he meant, when he reached down with his free hand and parted her legs.

She thought that he was going to attempt to couple with her again, and had grabbed his arm to protest, when he reached down and began to stroke her sensitive bud. Kurai arched her back, her nails digging into Ko's arm as he began to pleasure her.

"How-oh! How did you…learn to *gasp* do this?" the human said, making the hunter laugh quietly against her neck. He knew _way_ too much for a virgin, it seemed…

"You're not the only one who can look up information on a data pad… There are plenty of texts describing this sort of thing… For example…" he made his point by doing some sort of gesture, which caused Kurai to cry out.

"You see…females of our species are not only hard to please with trophies, but in the bedroom as well… A male can't afford to be sexually selfish…it could cost him a lot more than spending the night alone…" to illustrate his point, he tried another move, which made Kurai cry out louder and grab his arm harder.

"Obviously, one needs to be studious in these matters." he concluded.

Kurai could feel herself nearing her climax. Her gasps became quicker, and she moved against Ko's hand, making him laugh lightly against her neck. At last, she could feel the wonderful build-up, and got ready for the finale…

A second before she would have reached paradise, Ko pulled his hand away. The build-up went away rather quickly, and Kurai made a sound of disappointment.

A second later, Ko resumed his attentions to her bud, and the tension came back. For the second time, he took his hand away; Kurai was getting annoyed, and Ko seemed to sense it…

"Be patient…it'll be worth it…" he whispered, as she squirmed in his lap. She was about to just say to hell with it and finish the job herself!

Ko kept up his sensual little tortures for a couple of minutes, until he apparently decided that she'd had enough. He rubbed her again, and she again felt the delicious–and by this time, almost painful–tension, but this time, he didn't tease her. Keeping a steady beat against the delicate mound, he allowed her to touch the stars.

It hit her like a tsunami; Kurai screamed louder than she'd ever thought possible! Why hadn't she ever tried that herself? It was far more intense than anything she'd ever been able to accomplish; perhaps because it was with someone else…she never wanted it to end…

Unfortunately, people don't always get what they want; especially if it's something really good. Kurai sank back against her hunter, unaware that she'd actually risen at all, and panted. Ko took his hand away, apparently having read up on how incredibly sensitive a female was after orgasm, and wrapped his arms around Kurai's waist.

"Wow…" Kurai breathed, when she'd regained most of her senses.

"It pays to read…" Ko said, "kissing" the back of her neck.

"Where did you find out how to do that?"

"From a rather ancient tome…it was actually written by a fairly well-known huntress… Supposedly, one of our goddesses imparted the knowledge to her; though, whether it was meant to be done by males or for females to do themselves, I don't know. It's supposed to make the end result far more pleasurable than normal." he replied.

"Either way…wow…" Kurai said.

They sat together for awhile, before the water got too cool for their liking. They finished washing and got out of the tub, drying off and putting on clean clothes.

They got their weapons and prepared to leave for the hive, but Kurai stopped Ko before they got to the door.

"Ko, there's a couple of things we need to talk about…one being last night." she said.

"Oh?"

"Well… I'd rather we didn't tell anyone; not about last night, or this morning…for the moment, anyway." Kurai said, trying to choose her words carefully.

"So, you won't be telling Taki?" he asked.

"No; not Taki, not Shisome; and you can't go bragging to the clan, okay?"

"Why are you so determined to keep it a secret? Do…do you…regret?" he asked, looking a little hurt.

"No! I'm glad! I really care for you; it'd just be…weird…having people knowing."

"I suppose…I understand." he said.

"All right… Now, do you think that you can get along with Aiyoku? At least, try not to fight with him; we'll be out of here soon, and you can take your frustrations out on someone back at the clan's kehrite, okay? I'm not trying to mess with your honor or customs; I just want to keep the peace around here…"

"I will try…" Ko said, and indeed, he did sound determined.

"Thank you… Shisome's already told me that you shouldn't come back if you can't play well with others…"

"She really said that?" Ko asked, sounding offended.

"She's under a lot of stress, Ko, and she's trying to take this situation in stride."

"I guess I can see her point…"

"Okay then; let's get going. We've got to form some sort of plan today." Kurai said, opening the door and putting on her mask. Ko did likewise, and the two headed out into the forest.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 17**

"Okay, so the first thing you're going to do is apologize to Shisome, right?" Kurai asked, as the hive came into view through the trees.

She and Ko had jogged from the ship to the hive, discussing what was going to transpire that day.

"Very well… I'm in far too good a mood…" Ko replied, giving his lover a knowing look.

"That's another thing… I wanted to tell you… I don't know if we should…you know…again for awhile…" Kurai said, coming to a halt.

"I understand." Ko said.

"It's just that we've got more important things to do at the moment…" Kurai said quietly, but then came closer to Ko, speaking sensually.

"Besides," she said, running a hand over his chest, "once this is all over, we'll have plenty of time to…practice."

"Anything you wish!" the hunter said breathlessly.

"Thanks for understanding; now, let's go!" Kurai smiled beneath her mask, and took off again, with Ko not far behind.

"And remember," she said as she ran, "we don't tell anyone; I don't want them making a big thing out of this."

"Taki…" Ko muttered.

"Taki will definitely make a big thing out of this." Kurai agreed.

"No, Taki!" Ko pointed to the clearing in front of the hive, where the human was standing. He'd taken off his armor, and was standing there wearing a pair of denim shorts and no shirt or shoes.

"Hey! Wondered when you'd get here!" Taki called, waving to them. They walked out of the jungle and over to the other human. Kurai couldn't help but notice that Taki had really put on some muscle since he'd come to the ranks of the Silver Crescent Clan. The dye had washed out of his hair, leaving it its natural dark black, and it had grown a bit. He did look rather handsome, and she could see why Momo had sought him out the day before.

"Just got a late start, is all… Ko, isn't there something you need to do?" Kurai said, as she took off her mask and put it under her arm.

"Oh…all right… I'll be back later…" Ko concluded, touching Kurai's hand affectionately. Nodding to Taki, he turned and went inside the hive.

"And if you see Aiyoku; don't mess with him!" the dark-haired female called, after a moment's thought.

"Fine!" Ko called back.

"So…?" Taki asked, when the Yautja was out of view.

"What?"

"Come on, Kurai… Ko showing affection in front of someone else… Something happened between you two, didn't it?"

"N-no… Why would you think that…?" Kurai asked, her face turning red.

"'Cause you're blushing and acting nervous… _You lost it!_" he concluded, putting his hand over his mouth in shock.

"I… I…" Kurai stammered.

"Oh, my God…you did! You're not a virgin anymore, are you?"

"…No… Last night…Ko and I…you know…" Kurai muttered, looking away nervously.

"Why so nervous? It's nothing to be ashamed of! You two are consenting adults; there's no reason to be embarrassed!" Taki reassured.

"You're not going to tell people, are you? Because I made a big deal to Ko about keeping it to himself…"

"It's not for me to tell; if you want people to know, you'll tell them, if not… So, did you like it?" he asked, grinning.

"It kind of hurt…" Kurai admitted.

"Well, it's not easy for most women with human men… Do you plan on trying again?"

"Yeah…but not right away…" the woman admitted. She was glad that she had a friend that was so easy to talk to about such things.

"Did Ko like it?"

"He's a guy, isn't he?" Kurai smirked.

"He didn't like…pressure you or anything, did he? Because I'll kill him if he did…" Taki said.

"No… I started things… He was so nervous…it was cute."

"Well, just remember that no means no; and make sure that Ko does, too…" Taki cautioned.

"I will… How are things here? Did you and Momo get along last night?" Kurai asked, changing the subject.

"We got along for half the night; Shisome had to tell us to quiet down…she sounded a little jealous, if you ask me!"

"Damn… Did my grandparents come by yet?"

"No; they called Momo to say that they were late… something to do with the hovercraft. They should be here soon, though… So…tell me more about last night…" Taki said, leading Kurai over to a nearby boulder to sit.

"You swear you won't bring this up to anyone?"

"Of course not; and if Ko says anything, I'll tell him that I guessed what happened." Taki assured her.

"Okay…well, as soon as I got on the ship…" she began…

_Meanwhile…_

Ko walked through the dark corridors of the hive, rehearsing what he'd say to Shisome. Though he knew that the Queen had a rather gentle personality, he didn't really know if she'd allow him to return to the hive yet or not.

Still, the thoughts of the night before kept him in a good mood. The very notion that Kurai had given herself to him so willingly sent a shiver of pleasure through him…and this morning….!

As he drew nearer to the Queen's chamber, a shape suddenly appeared in front of him. Ko had taken off his mask before entering the hive; mainly because kiande amedha didn't really have body heat, so it would be pretty much useless. It took him a minute, but he finally realized that the shape was the creature called Aiyoku.

"_**Ah! It's you… I was hoping for the human Kurai…"**_ the hybrid said, sounding disappointed.

"Out of my way… I've got to speak to Shisome… What did you want with Kurai, anyway?" he asked, as an afterthought.

"_**Not that it's any of your concern; but I was hoping to…introduce myself to her more formally. She's an intriguing creature…"**_

"Intriguing?"

"_**Yes… She fascinates me, for some reason, and I was hoping she'd submit to my advances, since we were interrupted yesterday…"**_ Aiyoku said offhandedly, stretching himself luxuriously.

"Advances? That's what you were doing? I thought you were going to kill her!" Ko said, for a split second relieved that Aiyoku hadn't intended to kill his mate, then the realization of his true intention set in.

"_**Oh, no! She's far too special for something like that! Why, I intend to show her pleasure…if she'll allow it. I've got no interest in her death… You, on the other hand…"**_ he said, flexing his claws and looking at Ko.

"I've got no time for you; I need to speak with your Queen…" Ko muttered, pushing past the hybrid.

"_**And I have to speak Kurai. Goodbye."**_ Aiyoku said, and vanished down one of the corridors before Ko could object. He could feel himself growing furious at the abomination's arrogance, but decided that it would be for the best to let it go for the moment.

Walking into the large chamber, Ko could hear a scrabbling sound above him, and figured that there would be a couple of kiande amedha around their Queen.

"_They want me to know they're here…just in case." _he thought. Kiande amedha could move through their darkened home as silently as shadows, if they wished it; so the only reason that they'd make such obvious noise would be as a warning.

"Shisome?" the Yautja called out, having strangely mixed feelings about speaking to the female alone.

"_**Is that you, Ko?"**_ the Queen's voice asked in his head, a little harder than was normal for her.

"Yes, Shisome… I came to apologize to you for yesterday.." the hunter began quietly.

"_**Oh?"**_ the Queen asked, and it was then that she took a step toward him.

Wait; _took a step forward!_

"S-Shisome…" Ko stammered, as the female took another step toward him.

"_**I'm not going to hurt you, if that's what you're thinking… I suppose the stress,"**_ she said the last part in a tone that indicated Ko, _**"of this whole affair has gotten to me in more ways than one…"**_ she said, and indeed, the massive organ had fallen away, leaving its owner free to move as she pleased.

"So, will you still be able to lay eggs?" Ko asked, trying to avoid the actual apology as long as possible.

"_**Well, I was afraid not, until Makoto assured me that I'd be fine when things returned to normal." **_the kiande amedha assured him.

They both were quiet for a few minutes, until Ko spoke…sort of.

"Uh…" Ko said, getting nervous, despite Shisome's assurances.

"_**So… You were going to say something to me?"**_ the large female asked, sitting.

"I was going to…to apologize to you for...for my behavior yesterday…"

"_**Really? So I suppose Kurai spoke with you?"**_

"Yes…" Ko answered, making note of how big Shisome's claws and teeth were so close up.

"_**And you won't attempt to harm the others here?"**_

"No…" Ko muttered, feeling like he was a child being scolded by its mother.

"_**Well then…I'll give you another chance. But if this happens again…"**_ Shisome warned, tail waving.

"No need to say any more." Ko replied.

"_**Good."**_

"Good." the hunter repeated, turning to leave the chamber.

"_**Oh, is Kurai around?"**_ the Queen asked a moment later.

"Yes; she's outside…with Aiyoku." Ko replied, gritting his teeth at the name.

"_**I'll go and see her a little later, then."**_ Shisome resolved, and Ko nodded in acknowledgement before turning for a final time and walking down the hall toward the entrance. The kiande amedha could be heard moving around in her chamber, presumably enjoying her newfound freedom.

He came out into the sunlight, just in time to see Aiyoku…crouching over Kurai, who was facedown on the ground…


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 18**

A few minutes before…

Kurai was talking to Taki about a new move she'd recently learned, grateful that her friend wasn't one of those people who made sex jokes at every possible opportunity, when a movement at the entrance of the hive got her attention.

"Hey Aiyoku." she called, realizing what the movement had been. The hybrid went over to them, his body seeming to reject the bright sunlight that flooded the clearing.

"_**Hello, Kurai, Taki… I just met Ko inside the hive. He was going to speak to Shisome about something or other and was quite rude to me."**_ Aiyoku said.

"Don't pay any attention to him if he acts like that." Taki said, picking up a nearby fallen branch and pulling leaves off it.

"_**I didn't."**_ the Xeno said flatly, and turned his attention to Kurai.

"_**Good morning, Kurai. You're looking quite lovely this morning. Has anything new happened with you? You seem a bit…different to me."**_ he observed, his tone going from flat to a very sensual purr. His mandibles twitched slightly at the blush that erupted in Kurai's face.

"Not much; I was just telling Taki about a new combat move I'd read about…and trying to see if he'd help me learn it." the human replied, then glanced at her friend.

"_**I could help you."**_ Aiyoku offered.

"You?" both humans asked.

"_**Yes. I'm bored, you need a partner; enough said."**_ he replied.

"Okay then; you two do that, I'm going to go put a shirt on… I'll see if Momo knows where it is…" Taki said, throwing his branch off the side and went back into the hive. Kurai couldn't help but think that it'd take her friend some time to return.

"_**So, what move were you trying to learn?"**_ Aiyoku asked after a moment.

"Oh, yeah… It's kind of an over-the-shoulder flip; in case an opponent grabs you from the back." Kurai explained, looking at her data pad for the information.

"_**Useful."**_ the Xenomorph admitted.

"It really is. So, what happens is you grab me from behind, and I break your hold by putting my foot behind yours and tripping you up." Kurai explained.

"_**Clever. Let's see if you can do it."**_ Aiyoku replied, walking out in the middle of the clearing and beckoning to her to join him.

The human was soon standing with her back facing the Xenomorph, waiting for him to grab her as an opponent might. She heard him running up to her, and then felt him grab her arm–being careful not to scratch her or grip too tightly–and then made her move.

The first part of the move went well; she got her foot behind Aiyoku's with relative ease, and was about to trip him up, when his tail suddenly wrapped loosely around her leg and caused her to be knocked off-balance instead.

She would have fallen face-first in the dirt, but the hybrid quickly caught her by the back of her shirt and let her land on her hands and knees, before she sank to the ground, putting her head down in false humiliation.

"Ah, why didn't that work?" she said, her voice muffled.

"_**Because you didn't anticipate my tail, dear; and now… I can do as I will with you…" **_he replied, and in a moment felt him crouching over her in a way that looked–and, she was sure, felt–very suggestive.

"_**But only with your permission, of course."**_ he purred in her ear. Kurai's eyes went wide as she felt his tail caress her rear, and wondered if that was intentional or not. A sea of naughty–though delicious–thoughts sprang up in the human's mind, and she blushed as the tail caressed her again.

"_KURAI!" _

A roar to her left got the human's attention, and she looked up to see Ko standing in the cave's entrance, looking at Aiyoku in pure rage.

"Not again!" she moaned loudly, as the Yautja charged at the hybrid, who relinquished his position over the dark-haired human to face the hunter's wrath.

Aiyoku braced for a fight, Ko prepared to rush at him, and Kurai prepared to break it up and apologize to Shisome, when something got the human's attention.

Behind Ko, a glistening black figure emerged from the darkness, standing twice his height.

Shisome did what could only be called sighing, and gently but firmly caught Ko in both her primary hands as he reached for his combi-stick.

"_**Ko… What did we **__**just**__** get through talking about?"**_ she asked, sounding more exasperated than angry.

"B-but he was…and Kurai was…" the Yautja stammered, obviously unnerved by being caught by the Queen.

"_**I saw them; and I can understand that you were upset. Leave this to me."**_ Shisome said firmly, setting Ko down, before leaving the hive, contrasting sharply with the bright foliage around her.

"_**Aiyoku…what is this?"**_ the female asked, nodding down to him and the human, who had risen up on her knees, preparing to jump into a possible fight.

"_**Nothing; Kurai and I were practicing a combat technique, is all."**_ Aiyoku replied smoothly.

"_**Is this true, Kurai?"**_ Shisome asked.

"Yeah; he got the better of me." Kurai replied, rising and brushing dust from her pants.

"He wasn't trying to kill you?" Ko asked, coming over to join her.

"No; I'd be dead if he was trying to kill me." the human replied.

"_**See? There's no need for you to fight so much…and I'm quite frankly tired of dealing with it. Aiyoku; don't provoke him anymore! Ko; don't play if you can't play nice!"**_ Shisome said, sounding frustrated, and both of them hung their heads and mumbled apologies to the Queen.

"That wasn't too hard, now was it? Now apologize to each other." Kurai said, going to stand beside Shisome.

"But…" they said together, attempting to protest.

"SAY YOU'RE FUCKING SORRY!" Kurai snapped, and both of them muttered to one another, hanging their heads in shame.

"_**That's better! Now go play somewhere else; I've got to talk to Kurai."**_ Shisome ordered.

"_**All right…"**_ Aiyoku said, sounding bored.

"You can't tell _me_ what to do! You're not _my_ Queen!" Ko huffed, crossing his arms like a four year-old who just got told what to do by a babysitter.

For an answer, Shisome made a quick move forward and snapped the air a foot in front of the Yautja. He grew pale and quickly muttered that he'd be in the hive, before excusing himself and hurrying away.

"Shisome…" Kurai said, impressed with the Xenomorph's behavior.

"_**I wouldn't have hurt him, I swear!"**_ she said quickly, lowering her head and doing the Xeno version of a pout.

"I believe you; but dang!" the human said, going over and rubbing the Queen's head.

"What did you have to talk to me about, anyway?" she asked after a moment. The massive female was now lying on her side, stretching her neck to let the human get at the right spot and purring loudly.

"_**Oh…yes, right. I was going to ask you a question about Aiyoku… Ooh!"**_ she said, as Kurai scratched a particularly itchy spot near the Queen's crest.

"What about him?" the human asked.

"_**Well… Does he seem a little…different from the others in the hive?"**_ Shisome asked.

"A little…he's kind of a letch…" Kurai said thoughtfully, taking a seat next the large female and leaning her back against her.

"_**Yes, but I meant that he's a little more…independent than the others. I think it might be because of the creature used for his host…"**_ the Xeno mused.

"Ko did say something about hybrids being less inclined to obey their Queens…" Kurai said thoughtfully, and felt Shisome tense behind her.

"_**He…he did?"**_

"Yeah… He said that they could also impregnate a host on their own." the human recalled, and Shisome tensed again.

"_**Oh dear… What do I do? If I had any idea that something like this could happen, I'd have just had Makoto kill that creature as soon as he began making trouble…"**_ Shisome said.

"I don't think we've got anything to worry about at the moment; at least not when it comes to Aiyoku. Hell, he could really be a help if Stone comes back; she won't be expecting him, I can guaran-damn-tee you that!" Kurai joked.

"_**I suppose…"**_

"And wouldn't any offspring Aiyoku happened to produce still be technically part of your hive? By which I mean that you wouldn't go out of your way to exterminate each other?" Kurai proposed.

"_**That's a tough one; but I suppose that they would still be considered…not friends, but not enemies either. As long as they remained far away and there were enough resources for both our hives, there would be little or no trouble between us."**_ Shisome replied, her mood seeming to lighten somewhat.

"See? You worry too much; Stone's the real threat here…at least for now." Kurai concluded.

"_**You're right…and I'm sleepy."**_ the Xeno replied, yawning and laying her head down.

Kurai took a cue from Shisome and made herself comfortable against the Queen's side to have a nap whilst waiting for her grandparents.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 18**

"So you're going back to Earth already?" Kurai asked, and her grandparents nodded.

The young woman and Xenomorph Queen had been awakened from their nap by the sound of the Yamamotos' hovercraft coming to the hive. The older humans had told them, along with Ko, who had come out to find something to eat in the woods, that they would be returning to Earth the same day.

"We'd like to stay longer; but people are beginning to wonder where we keep going. We can't run the risk of some tabloid reporter trying to tail us. There were some problems with the hovercraft; we're taking that as a sign. Besides; we can get a lot more done on Earth." Hoshi said.

"_**Any news of where Stone was headed?"**_ Shisome asked.

"No; she's apparently got some sort of device on her ship that makes it very difficult to track. Probably military-grade stealth technology… We've got similar equipment, but she's modified hers to make it harder for us. She wants us to be taken unawares when she strikes. She'll make her move when the mood takes her, and not before. Unfortunately, all we can do is hope to get a lead before one of ours dies."

"Or gets hurt again. How is Adelicia?" Ishi asked.

"I'm fine, thank you."

They all turned to see the same coming out of the hive, accompanied by Makoto. She was wearing a blue shirt and jeans and looked as though she had recently stopped crying.

"I suppose I…made something of a scene yesterday…" she said quietly.

"_**It's to be expected, Addie…"**_ Makoto comforted.

"I suppose I'll have to get used to seeing things like that if I'm to live around here." the human continued.

"You'll not likely see that particular scene again; I'll make sure that no other Yautja find this place." Kurai said flatly.

"_**How's your injury?"**_ Shisome asked, looking down at the human.

"It's a bit painful; but the man called Rei gave me some medicine that he said would heal me faster. It's got to be good, if it's used by one Yamamoto family's…employees." Adelicia replied.

"_**She'll recover nicely; as long as she gets some rest."**_ Makoto said, looking at his mate.

"Good; we'll need everyone in fighting form." Kurai nodded.

"_**Fight? She's not fighting anyone. If, for some reason, the battle moved here, she'll be far, far away; along with Shisome."**_ the Praetorian said firmly.

"Whatever; at least she won't be in the way." Kurai replied, glancing dismissively at Adelicia.

"So, can we reach you on the clan ship, if you return?" Ishi asked, mostly to defuse the situation.

"Yeah; you'll have to contact me via e-mail, but I'll be checking it regularly, so there's no worries there."

"Good. Unfortunately, human technology hasn't caught up to that of the Yautja yet, so we can't talk live anyway. Do you have enough food for the return trip?" Hoshi asked.

"I think we're good; we can stock up on meat and fish here if we're unsure, though." Taki replied.

"Oh! That reminds me…here." Ishi said, taking a couple of bio-scanners from her pocket and handing them to the two humans.

"Nice, grandma; latest models?" Kurai asked, looking over the device.

"Of course. Don't want you eating anything poisonous. Adelicia's already got one. What are you three going to do?" the older woman asked.

"We'll hang around for a few days and get back to the Silver Crescent clan to plan our next move." Kurai said, putting the scanner in a pocket.

"Are you sure you'll be all right here?" Hoshi asked.

"We'll be fine, Grandpa." the young woman answered.

Kurai and her grandparents embraced, Taki said goodbye, and Ko nodded respectfully. After a few goodbyes, the Yamamotos took their solemn leave. Getting into the hovercraft, they lifted from the ground and disappeared into the jungle.

"I'm really going to miss them." Adelicia said solemnly, watching the vehicle go.

"Yeah…" Kurai agreed.

"_**Come on now; let's not depress ourselves. Kurai, will you be spending the next few days here or in your ship?"**_ Shisome asked, trying to keep the sadness from her voice. She had obviously come to like the human's grandparents.

"Well, I'm gonna stay here, if you're sure it's okay." she replied.

"I'll stay with Kurai." Ko said quietly, noticing that Aiyoku had appeared in the hive's entrance.

"And I'm not staying on the ship alone." Taki stated firmly.

"Oh… I've only got one extra blanket…" Adelicia said thoughtfully.

"I'll be staying with Momo, so don't worry about it." Taki said.

"I'll go back to the ship and get a couple of extra ones… Ko and I'll be staying together…" Kurai said, a slight blush coming to her cheeks.

"_**Or you could stay with me… We could figure out ways to keep each other warm…"**_ Aiyoku suggested sensually, coming over to the group. Ko growled, and Kurai shot him a look that made him quiet down.

"Keep that up and I'll–" Ko began, but a sharp hiss from Shisome shut him up.

"_**Play nice, boys."**_ she said.

Aiyoku sat down on a rock to pout, while Ko moved to stand protectively behind his mate.

"Come on, Ko; let's go get the blankets." Kurai said, gently grabbing a handful of the Yautja's dreadlocks, getting a surprised little yelp in return as he followed her.

"Why did you do that?" Ko asked, when the human had finally let go of his hair.

"Do I have to tell you again not to mess with Aiyoku?" she replied, as the hunter untangled his hair.

"Sorry…" Ko muttered.

"Besides… Look at it this way; you and me and two blankets… Don't you want to stay on my good side?"

"Oh? Oh! Yes…yes I do."

"Okay then; let's go." Kurai said, and they jogged into the jungle together.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 20**

"Okay, we're back!" Kurai said, coming back into the clearing.

She and Ko were each holding a couple of blankets and a pillow. Kurai had also filled a backpack with a few overnight essentials, and carried it herself. They'd been gone for about an hour, during which time, it seemed, everyone had the idea to have a cookout in the clearing in front of the hive. The Xenomorphs had gone out and gotten several large, shaggy bison-like creatures with six legs for themselves and the humans to eat, and had laid them off to one side of the clearing for use. The humans were doing their part; Adelicia and Momo were building a fire in a large pit that had obviously been dug recently, and Jim was directing another pair of Drones where to put another large bovine creature that they'd apparently just killed.

"Oh!" Adelicia said, looking up at the noise the two had made coming through the jungle. The auburn-haired human hurried over to the entering pair.

"Excuse me; but Taki said that you know how to…well…skin things?" she directed this at Ko.

"Yes; but Kurai and Taki do as well." he replied, looking over the blankets he was carrying. Kurai translated for him, as Adelicia couldn't understand Yautja yet.

"He said that you're very good at it…"

"I suppose…or he's just being lazy… What do you want to know for?" he asked, and Kurai relayed the message.

"Well, Taki says that the skins of these creatures," she said, gesturing to the bison-things, "look like they'd be useful."

"Let me put these away and I'll take a look." the Yautja said, interested. Kurai rolled her eyes; anything that involved skinning and/or disemboweling something seemed to appeal to Ko, or rather, to his species in general.

"Thank you." Adelicia said, and Ko and Kurai excused themselves.

"So, where do we put these?" Kurai asked, as they looked around the corridors and numerous rooms.

"Let's just put them in here for now. We'll ask Adelicia where to go later on." Ko suggested.

They were in the room where Kurai had first "encountered" Adelicia. They left their things on one of the improvised shelves and left to rejoin the group.

"All right; let's get started." Ko said, walking over to one of the large creatures.

"Firstly, what do you want the hides for?" he asked, Kurai acting as translator again.

"Taki suggested that they'd be useful for all sorts of things; clothing, blankets, and to use as doors in the hive." the human answered.

"I can imagine that doors would be quite useful; what with the sheer number of people everywhere. Privacy is the main reason why I don't think I'd like to be a Xenomorph. That and you never leave your mom's house." Kurai said thoughtfully.

"_**It's not that bad really."**_ Makoto said, stretching out from where he was lying on the grass nearby. He had apparently taken part in the killing of at least one of the bovine creatures, owing to the noticeable spatters of dried blood here and there on his body and claws. He noticed this and began to groom himself leisurely.

"Well, no offense but I couldn't obey orders like you guys do."

"When have _you_ ever _obeyed_ anyone?" Taki asked, half-joking.

"What does that mean?" Kurai laughed, as Ko looked over the bovine creatures and took out his knife. In a moment, some rather gruesome sounds filled the clearing, and the smell of blood wafted through the air.

"Just that you've got a little…small…tiny…molecular…problem with authority." Taki replied.

"Taki, honey… I don't _have_ a problem with authority; I _am_ freakin' authority." Kurai responded, grinning darkly.

"_**People do seem to bend to your will."**_ Shisome observed, rolling over onto her back.

"_**And you're not even a Queen!"**_ Makoto added, working on dragging one of the creatures nearer to the others.

"Yes; but that takes a lot of hard work, see? I've put a lot of effort into being such a hard-ass. It's not something that just happens overnight; it takes years of dedication." Kurai said.

"Oh, you can't be serious!" Adelicia laughed.

"She is, trust me." Ko said, as a wet tearing sound resounded from the creature he was skinning. In a moment, he laid a bloody mass of something over to one side.

"What did he say?" the other female asked. Kurai jumped into the translator position again.

"_**Now, before we even end up in an argument, let's change the subject."**_ Shisome said. Stretching out again.

"_**I second that."**_ Makoto agreed, lying back down.

"Makoto! You're filthy!" Adelicia said, taking a look at the Praetorian.

"_**Hm? Oh… I suppose so. I'll take care of it later."**_ he replied.

"You'd be surprised what kind of foul things you get covered in sometimes." Ko muttered. Kurai translated this to Adelicia, who made a face.

"Well, when all this is over, I expect you to go wash yourself if you intend on sleeping in my room tonight." the brunette said to the Praetorian, who whined in defeat.

"_**You should wash, too, Kurai; I can come to help you, if you need it."**_ Aiyoku offered.

"I'm not even dirty." Kurai stated flatly.

"_**I can help you with that, too."**_ The hybrid purred, moving in behind the human and putting a clawed hand on her rear.

Kurai's reaction was instantaneous. Grabbing Aiyoku's arm, she crouched down and judo-flipped him over her shoulder. He made a sort of "oof" sound as he hit the ground, and the human was afraid she'd done him an injury, until he suddenly rose to his feet, shaking the blow off easily.

"_**I like you."**_ he panted quietly, as Kurai rubbed her shoulder from the strain of the move; Aiyoku was heavy!

"_**Wow."**_ Shisome stated quietly, observing the pair.

"Why aren't you yelling at her?" Ko asked, a piece of something bloody in his hand.

"Because Kurai's not always trying to make his head into an ornament." Taki muttered. Ko growled and went back to his skinning.

"Oh, my!" Adelicia breathed, hand over her mouth. Aiyoku wandered away, tail swaying lazily, and Kurai went to sit down beside Shisome.

"What?" the other woman asked.

"You… You just… I mean, you made it look so easy…" she breathed.

"It is, really; I can teach you if you want. It's pretty basic stuff, but it can save your life…and the integrity of your butt."

"Yeah, I always hold my ass in the highest esteem." Taki said offhandedly, picking up a stick and poking at a pile of some stuff Ko discarded.

In an hour, Ko had gotten two of the creatures skinned, and had laid out the good parts over the fire to cook. The Xenomorphs ate their food raw, of course, but there was little appetite among them, seeing as they couldn't stand the smell of cooing meat. By the end of the day, there was a large pile of fresh skins lying on some nearby rocks, and a great number of bones lying about. The Drones carted the remains far away, and everyone, now bloated and exhausted, went into the hive to sleep.

"I'm so freakin' tired…" Taki yawned.

"Not _too_ tired, I hope…" Momo said suggestively, pulling the young man with her down a corridor.

"Good night, Taki!" Adelicia called, and received a grin and thumbs-up in reply.

"_**Let's go, Addie…"**_ Makoto said, and Adelicia stopped him by gently grabbing his tail.

"River, now." she said. Makoto whined, but another hard look from his mate sent him scurrying outside.

"Congratulations; you've got him trained!" Kurai said, watching the Praetorian hurry along.

"I don't like where this is going… Where will we be sleeping?" Ko asked, backing away from the two females.

"Oh, there's an empty room up here that would be perfect. Come with me, please." Adelicia said cheerfully. Kurai and Ko retrieved their bed things and followed her.

They arrived at the small room and, after thanking and saying goodnight to Adelicia, bathed, made their bed and fell asleep.


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer – Don't own it.

Chapter 21

The next morning, the first thing Kurai noticed was Ko moving around and getting out of bed, muttering something about getting breakfast. The Xenomorphs had eaten the rest of the bovine creatures that everyone else couldn't finish, so fresh meat was a must.

There were some slight clanking sounds, indicating that Ko was putting on his armor, and the sound of the air hoses connecting for his helmet. After this initial disturbance, the human turned over and went back to sleep.

In what seemed like no time at all, Kurai was aware of Ko getting back into bed wit her.

"You'd better not be covered in blood or anything…" she muttered, and felt mandibles brushing lightly against her neck.

Ko began to nibble at her shoulder, and let his hand wander a little over her blanketed form. Kurai laughed a little as he brushed over a ticklish spot, which started him purring loudly.

"_**You know, your lover likely won't be back for quite some time. If you like, I could help you pass the time until his return."**_ a sensual voice suggested in her head.

"Aiyoku…!" Kurai exclaimed, in surprise and fury.

"_**Don't be angry, my dear; I will do nothing unless you give me permission…"**_ he assured, and Kurai felt something lightly bump against her leg, followed by another suggestive purr.

In response, the human rose, as if to roll over, raised her elbow, and brought it down hard on whatever part of the hybrid that was immediately below…which happened to be his throat.

The human hurriedly leapt away as the Xenomorph erupted in a coughing fit, clutching his injured neck and gasping for air.

"Sneaky, perverted, disrespectful son of a bitch!" she yelled, leaving the male alone as she grabbed her clothes and went into another room further down the hall to change.

"_**Excuse me?"**_ Shisome interjected, apparently awakened by the commotion.

"What? Oh, not you…" Kurai huffed, putting one of her fans into its pouch and securing it to her belt.

"What's going on? What happened?" Adelicia asked, poking her head into the room. She was wearing a pink fuzzy robe and looked as though she were making breakfast, judging from the frying pan she was holding in one hand. Makoto was trailing after her, looking somewhat tired; he was rather sluggish and his tail was dragging the ground.

"I just put the pervert in his place." Kurai growled.

"_**Aiyoku?"**_ Makoto asked, yawning. The dark-haired human nodded.

In a moment, the topic of their conversation wandered by and, seeing the look Kurai gave him, hurried on about his business, coughing every now and then and shaking his head.

"What did you do to him?" Adelicia asked, watching the hybrid go.

"Like I said; put him in his place. That should teach him not to be such a lecherous shithead!"

"_**I'm sure Ko would love to have seen that! I would have, too; come to think of it…"**_ Makoto said, sounding a little too happy.

"I take it you don't like him very much?" Kurai inquired.

"_**He's just a bit too independent for my taste."**_ the Praetorian said brusquely.

"I do hope you didn't do him any serious injury." Adelicia said, sounding a little worried.

"_**I doubt it."**_ her mate said.

"Good morning, peoples! What was wrong with Aiyoku? I passed him in the hall and he said something about you being right where he wants you, Kurai." Taki said, coming into the room. He was wearing a pair of old jeans and nothing else, and his hair was disheveled from sleep…or other activities, as Momo wasn't with him.

"He tried to crawl into bed with me, and I showed him why that was a bad idea." Kurai said offhandedly, running her fingers through her hair.

"He tried to do _what_?" a voice snarled from the doorway, and everyone turned to see Ko standing there, spattered with blood and holding a large brown bird in one hand and his combi-stick in the other.

"I took care of it; don't get overexcited." the human said, intent on putting a stop to this before it started.

"But he…! And he knows we're…! And I…!" the Yautja stammered, sitting on an outcropping of rock.

"Like I said; I took care of it. It's over, forget about it. Let it go." Kurai asserted.

"But…!" Ko began.

"Let it go." Kurai said again, this time slowly and firmly, taking most of the fight out of him.

"Now that that's done with; who wants breakfast?" Taki asked, looking at the dead bird in Ko's hand.

_An hour later…_

The smell of roasting meat wafted through the hive's new kitchen as the bird sat on a homemade spit above the newly-constructed fire. The humans and Yautja waited their turn, while Makoto–the only Xeno still actually in the hive–had made a decent meal out of the rest of the creature.

Ko had grumbled for awhile, but had settled down with some prompting from Kurai. He was now eating a large drumstick, and seemed quite cheerful, until he caught sight of Aiyoku in the corridor, and began to growl quietly.

The hybrid was walking down the hallway with the female Praetorian from the day before, and seemed intent on finding some privacy, as he peaked in a couple of rooms before going on his way.

"Glad to see he's getting on with his life after your rejection." Taki observed.

"Has he no shame? Isn't one female enough for him?" Ko snapped.

"Ko, don't Yautja aspire to have as many mates as possible? I was talking to one of the males on the clan ship and he said that his brother had at least sixty females and twenty children that he knew of… I don't think you've any right to talk here." Taki said.

"We have many mates because we wish to have many children. There's a high mortality rate among our males…" the Yautja explained, and Kurai translated.

"So, you don't settle down with just one person?" Adelicia asked.

"Not usually, no; and males must be very high-ranking to catch the attention of even the lowest-ranking female. Normally, one such as myself wouldn't even get a second look from one of the opposite sex."

"_**Why? What's wrong with you?"**_ Makoto asked, bluntly.

"Nothing! I'm just not one of the higher-ranking hunters yet! If I'm lucky enough to achieve glory, females will be less hostile to me, and if I became an Elder, they might even seek _me_ out."

"They'd better not." Kurai said, examining her fan and making sure it caught the light.

"Right…" Ko agreed, defeated.

"So… What do we do today?" Taki asked, bored of the present conversation.

"I say we get some training done; I feel lazy, just sitting around here like this." Kurai said, and Ko nodded.

"We'll have to be in top form, if we're going after Stone; she's got some pretty good fighters, if that Meisai was any indication." the hunter stated.

"Good idea. Shisome?" Kurai said, hoping the Queen hadn't gone back to sleep.

"_**Y-yes?"**_ she asked, yawningly.

"Sorry to wake you again; but do you have anyone keeping watch from the top of the cliffs?"

"_**I don't believe so…"**_

"Well, it might be a good idea; you can see people coming from a farther distance and prepare."

"_**Good idea; I'll get a couple of the Drones to start shifts."**_ the Xenomorph said.

"Right. We've got to shore up our defenses if we're going to get through this thing. We should also make sure there's somewhere safe to be in case of an aerial attack." Kurai said, beginning to pace.

"Aerial attack?" Ko asked.

"Like if someone starts dropping bombs or something, see?" Taki explained.

"That's not going to happen." Ko said.

"_**My hive found out the hard way that it could happen…easily."**_ Makoto said cryptically.

"Do you have any other suggestions, Kurai?" Shisome asked, sounding worried.

"All right, now this may come to nothing, but we need to be prepared for anything. We've got to think of every possible scenario; for example, a full-scale siege on this place. The underground pools can provide water, but what about food?" she asked, turning to Adelicia.

"I was going to start collecting and storing fruits and vegetables soon…" Adelicia said.

"That'll work for you; but what about the rest of the hive? Xenomorphs won't eat cooked meat or produce… The only option that I can think of is to have a few alternate exits."

"_**Alternate exits?"**_ Shisome asked.

"Yeah, like tunnels out of the hive. If there's trouble at the front entrance, you and everyone else can sneak out the back. Probably wouldn't hurt to have a few tunnels leading into the forest." Kurai thought out loud.

"_**You're right… We've got to prepare for anything. If she caught us off guard once, it proves that she can do it again." **_Shisome said quietly.

"_**So then; shall we get to work, my Queen?"**_ Makoto asked.

"_**Yes… We've got far too much to lose to just sit around waiting."**_ the female replied, and everyone prepared for the long day ahead of them.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer – Don't own AVP, wish I did.**

**Just a filler chapter… Plot-related stuff coming soon!**

**Chapter 22**

"Oh, gods… My back…!" Ko moaned, sinking down against the wall of Shisome's chamber.

Every single human, Yautja and Xenomorph had been working for the past six hours to fortify the hive. Sentries had been sent up to the top of the white stone cliffs, and now worked in shifts of three hours each to ensure that no one was too tired to keep watch for long. Shisome herself had put in a great deal of effort into helping the others with any task she could. There was no way to seal up the entrance without making it conspicuous, so a pair of Drones would be on guard at all times in case of intruders, also in shifts of three hours. A series of tunnels was being constructed from deeper in the hive, leading out into several hidden locations in the nearby forest. This would guarantee that the Xenos could hunt for food…or ambush attackers, guerilla-style.

Along with these tasks, Ko had attended to the dozen or so large bovine skins from the previous night. He'd spent almost four hours getting the hair off half of them, and was covered in all sorts of nasty, unmentionable stuff. He had along with him a solution that worked much like tannic acid for leather, and the pelts were soon on their way to usability. Adelicia was already looking forward to a door for her room, and Makoto liked the idea of some privacy for the two of them.

There had been no more conflicts between Kurai and Aiyoku; the hybrid seemed to be off pouting somewhere else, which didn't bother Ko in the least.

Now the work for the day was over, and everyone was tired from it. Adelicia slumped against Makoto, Jim and Momo lay sprawled out against Shisome's side, and everyone else took up positions around the chamber, groaning with exhaustion.

"How can _your_ back hurt, Ko? _You_ didn't just spend the day hauling up dirt!" Taki said, from his place on a low ledge.

"_**Or digging tunnels… My poor claws will take days to grow back!"**_ Lee reprimanded, raising her head from the floor. Jim muttered something the others couldn't hear to comfort her.

"_**Or coating the tunnels with resin…"**_ someone unseen called down from the ceiling.

"_**Or on top of a cliff with nothing to look at but miles of forest and the hot sun on you…"**_ someone else called.

"We all worked hard today; and we all deserve a nice rest." Kurai, who'd been helping with pretty much everything all day, announced, trying to avoid an argument.

"I agree." Adelicia seconded. She had been picking, washing, and preparing fruit, vegetables, and herbs to dry all day. The stored food would be good in case of bad weather, as well as a siege. She had also–with the help of Makoto–collected a fair amount of fire wood. She'd also begun planning a garden near the hive, in which she would plant the seeds of the things she dried. There was a short tunnel that led out of the hive to what had once been a large chamber, but whose roof and floor had long eroded away, leaving just the walls standing to surround about a quarter of an acre of dark black soil. Kurai marveled at how someone who had come from one of the most populated cities on Earth could acclimate herself so easily to such a rugged place as Pluvia. The British girl might have been a little naive, but her will was a lot stronger than most people would ever have thought possible. She had a warrior's spirit; she just didn't realize it.

"And you need another bath, Ko…" Kurai said, catching the scent of gore and sweat wafting from the hunter's body.

"_**I second that!"**_ Makoto called, and many of the other Xenos agreed.

"How can you tell? You don't even have a nose…" Momo said thoughtfully, rising up a little.

"We taste the scents in the air; and Ko's is making me want to retch!" the Praetorian replied.

"It's not that bad; I once spent two weeks on a hunt, and by the time I got back, I was covered in ten times as much filth as I am now! It's goof for a male to smell rugged!" Ko protested.

"_**I'll give you a choice; either you go wash that filth off yourself, or I'll have you stripped naked and thrown in the river!"**_ Shisome warned, and a few of the Drones prepared for the possibility of their Queen carrying out her threat.

"Fine!" the hunter said, throwing up his hands. He took his leave, grumbling all the while.

"You know, I've been giving him a pretty hard time lately…" Kurai said quietly, but was imagining Ko stripping off his armor…

"It's possible." Taki said, lying back down on the ledge.

"I think I need a bath, too…" she said, getting up and following the hunter, and trying not to seem as though she was rushing off just to see him naked or anything…though the thought did make her smile. She'd told him that it might be awhile…but awhile could mean anything, and Kurai was always fond of ambiguity; at least when she was being ambiguous… She'd make it up to him for being so irritable lately…

"Whatever you say." Taki said.

"Kurai!" Adelicia said, rushing out after the other woman.

"Yeah?"

"You're not… Surely you're not going to bathe at the same time as Ko?" she asked, in a rather hushed voice.

"Yeah, I am…"

"Whatever for?" the auburn-haired woman asked, still in a hushed voice.

"It'll turn him on." Kurai replied, before winking and turning to hunt her hunter.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer – Don't own AVP.**

**Okay, this one is sort of another filler; but I thought of this in English Lit and I just laughed so much that I had to write it out.**

**Warning! Innuendo, sort of…**

**Chapter 23**

"'Morning, people!" Kurai said cheerfully, coming into the Queen's chamber, now unofficially designated the main meeting place. She'd put on a faded grey top and old jeans, and decided to leave her armor off for today, but kept her fans.

Shisome was just finishing eating something that had been alive only a couple of hours before, and the Drones were waiting in the wings to clean up the mess. Taki was hanging out with Momo on a low-handing ledge, and Jim was watching Shisome eat and taking notes.

"_**Good morning, Kurai; Adelicia, Makoto and Aiyoku are in the kitchen."**_ Lee said, appearing from a hole in the ceiling and gracefully landing on the floor to sit next to Jim, who reached over and stroked her head fondly, making her purr.

"Adelicia making breakfast?" the human asked.

"_**She enjoys it; it seems to calm her."**_ the Drone said, as Jim scratched her neck.

"So, how was your night?" Taki asked suggestively.

"Pretty good…" Kurai replied, smiling at the memory of the evening before; Ko had apparently been reading more of his texts on pleasure, and had been anxious to try out some new things. He'd been in a very good mood when they went to sleep, and would hopefully stay that way for awhile.

"_**I hope you convinced him to be a bit less irritable from now on. He can be so stubborn!"**_ Shisome said, looking up from her meal.

"Yeah, it does take a little effort to make him listen…" Kurai admitted.

"_**Well, I hope you managed to grab his attention."**_ the Queen said firmly, before going back to eating.

"Uhm…yeah…among other things..." the other female said, a slight smile breaking out on her face.

"Did it take long? I know Ko likes to pout…" Taki asked, enjoying the innuendo.

"It…took a couple of minutes...but I was able to get him out of his bad mood."

"_**You managed to hold his interest?"**_ Lee asked, and Taki and Momo snickered.

"We talked, and he won't be a butthole anymore." Kurai said simply, growing tired of the ambiguity.

"_**Good; we've enough problems without this sort of thing. We can't prepare ourselves to battle Stone if we're fighting amongst ourselves over petty matters."**_ Makoto said, making Kurai jump. He and Adelicia were in the doorway, and Aiyoku gave a hiss of greeting as he went down the hall, muttering something about going to sleep.

"Christ, Makoto!" Kurai gasped, her heart pounding.

"Good morning, Kurai. I made breakfast, if you're hungry." Adelicia said, and the other woman noticed that she was holding a plate of what appeared to be cooked meat and some local fruit.

"Thanks." she said, accepting the food. The taste of the meat was like beef, but slightly sweet, and the fruit tasted like oranges, but with the texture of an apple.

"I hope you like it; I'm admittedly in the middle of trying to figure out recipes for these new foods."

"It's great; you're a better cook than I am." Kurai admitted, and Adelicia smiled and took the plate back.

"_**I'm going down to the river to get those fish you asked for earlier, Addie; I'll be back in a while."**_ Makoto announced. He had been conversing quietly with Shisome, who had finished her breakfast and was cleaning herself leisurely as the skeletal remains of her meal were carted away. She then settled down on the floor and was soon snoozing quietly on her back.

"All right; but be careful." the brunette said, sounding slightly worried. She hugged her mate, who nuzzled her neck, before heading toward the door.

"Hey, I'll go with you, if that's cool. I need to do something for awhile." Kurai said.

"_**That's fine. I need someone to help me carry the fish back."**_ the Praetorian said, and the two set off for the river.

"Unagi!" Taki and Momo called, and Kurai had to admit that some eels would taste good after so long…

They walked out of the hive and down toward the river, with Kurai enjoying the still-cool morning air.

"_**Let's go downriver a bit; there are some still pools with good-sized fish in them."**_ Makoto suggested, and the human let him lead the way.

They arrived at a good-sized, rather shallow pool with a fair number of large white rocks at its edge. The Xenomorph went over to the edge and peeked in. He apparently saw some fish, for he waved Kurai over.

"_**There are a good number of them in here now."**_ he said, tail twitching as he watched them. The fish mostly consisted of creatures that looked much like coelacanths, but were a grey/green color, fatter, and about two to three feet long. There were indeed some blue-black eels; but these were also fatter, and were about five feet long with longer fins and whiskers. Kurai held the bio-scanner out over the pool and, when the device confirmed that nothing was poisonous, went over to a stand of trees and hacked off a sturdy-looking branch and began to whittle the tip into a point. Once this was accomplished, she went back to the pool, stopping at the sound of rustling, but brushing it off as a slight breeze.

"_**Are you ready?"**_ Makoto asked, still gazing into the water.

"Yeah." Kurai replied, raising her spear and taking aim at one of the coelacanths, while the Xenomorph poised with one hand raised, razor-sharp claws ready to snatch another fish out of the water. A second later, he quickly reached down into the water and pulled up a wriggling eel.

Before she could even really concentrate on what she was doing, the brush behind her began to rustle.

Kurai had less than a second to react, before something charged out of the trees and had her on the ground, face first. Whatever it was had a great deal of fur, and was extremely heavy. She felt what could only be teeth brush against her neck, and realized that she'd only just missed being decapitated by the unknown creature.

A flash of black caught her eye, and a screech followed as Makoto rushed to the aid of his friend. The Praetorian was larger than the creature, and managed, after some struggle, to drag it off the still-stunned human, its claws raking heavily down her back, making Kurai scream.

Somehow, she managed to turn and see the fight. The creature was a feline thing about the size of a large bobcat, and a tawny color. It was quicker than it looked, and was giving Makoto a rather hard time of catching it. Despite the fact that she was in agony from her back, and felt the blood flowing freely from her wounds, Kurai rose up and reached for her fans to fight the cat, just as Makoto managed to grab it and sink his teeth into its neck. The cat screamed and took a swipe at its captor's chest as it died, the acid blood flowing onto the ground. The Xeno shrieked and tossed the already dead cat away, his tail lashing out in his pain and catching the human in the midsection.

Kurai felt a sharp pain in her right foot as she fell sideways…right into the pool. Though she was in a tremendous amount of pain, the human found the entire situation a bit comic; especially when she realized she'd landed on an, which wriggled free and sped off for its fishy life. Makoto was in the pool the next second, grabbing her up and gently throwing her over his shoulder, as his chest was still bleeding a bit.

He took off running as fast as he could without hurting the human, whose eyes watered at the motion.

"_**We'll be back at the hive in a few moments; just hold on!"**_ he said.

*******

Ko groaned as he woke up; the hard cave floor was not helping his already-aching back. Reaching over, he felt that his mate wasn't in bed next to him. He found this odd, seeing as how Kurai had admittedly put in more effort than he had the precious night. Rolling over, he groaned again as he began to drag himself out of bed.

Going to the large bathing pool, he splashed some water on his face to wake himself up, his mandibles flexing with the sensation. The hunter put on his loincloth, boots, and mesh suit and went out into the corridor to search for Kurai…and possibly breakfast, if he could get the Adelicia Ooman to cook for him.

Heading into Shisome's chamber, he found the enormous female asleep and doing the kiande amedha version of snoring as her tail moved around in her sleep. Taki and the Shadow female were talking nearby, the male Shadow-Jim-was sitting with Lee, and no one else was to be found in the room except for the occasional Drone who passed through to check on their Queen.

A scent caught his attention, and he followed it to its origin, which happened to be the rather primitive kitchen the Ooman female used. He found her there, tending a decent-sized fire with something mouthwatering roasting over it and humming to herself. Ko clicked to get her attention, and she jumped slightly before smiling and asking him if he was hungry.

She prepared a plate for him, and he settled down to eat while she busied herself with various things around the kitchen, talking the whole time.

"…and Kurai went off fishing with Makoto; she'll be back soon. Everyone went off to who knows where; that happens quite a lot around here…" she was saying. Ko listened to her chatter, hoping that the kiande amedha could bring back some nice fish… If it had been Aiyoku, the hunter would have been worried, but Makoto was even less likely to be interested in his mate than Taki would. It wasn't as though he thought the hybrid would force actually himself on Kurai; but he was a persistent creature…

Seeing as his mate was away, Ko found a large and empty room and began to practice his unarmed combat techniques.

He'd just achieved a spectacular kick, when a sound got his attention. Listening closer, he was certain he heard Kurai's voice. Walking into the hallway, he gasped as he saw his mate.

The light was dim, but he could see that Kurai was lying on her belly, with Makoto crouching over her in a very suggestive way. He ducked around to press himself against the wall outside of the doorway to remain unseen. Straining, he could hear her speaking…

*******

"Ow! It hurts, Makoto!" Kurai protested, as the Praetorian examined her back.

She'd been carried back to the hive, and was now lying facedown on the floor while Makoto examined her injures. His intention was to then to seek out Jim and get her bandaged up as soon as possible.

"_**Kurai, I'm going to have to remove this article of clothing to get a better view of the wounds…"**_ he said, and proceeded to remove the bloody remains of her shirt.

"So much for that shirt…" the human muttered sarcastically.

"_**There's a fair amount of blood; but most of these scratches don't look too deep. This one does, though.."**_ Makoto observed.

*******

"Ko, what are you–" Adelicia began, but the Yautja grabbed her before she could finish and pressed her to the wall next to him.

"What are you…?" she asked, but he made a "be quiet" gesture and inclined his head toward the door. She seemed not to understand, until Kurai spoke again…

*******

"I can't believe it's bleeding that much… Is it really that deep?" Kurai muttered.

"_**Deeper than the others, anyway… You seem cold…"**_

"Yeah, and I'm shivering…and so wet…" she pouted.

*******

"What is going on in there?" the human whispered urgently, and both of them inclined their heads to hear more.

*******

"_**I'm going to see about your foot; you seem to have injured that as well."**_

"How does it look?" she asked, after a minute.

"_**It's a bit swollen and bruised… I'm going to take your boots off before it becomes impossible to do so."**_

He proceeded to gently tug at her footwear.

"Ooh! It's really swollen, isn't it? I hope you don't have to tear it apart to get it out of there…"

*******

"Oh, my!" Adelicia cried quietly. Ko felt bad for letting her hear this. He was about to put a hand on her shoulder, when Taki wandered by.

"Hey, guys…what's ah!" he was grabbed by both Ko and Adelicia and told to be quiet and listen…

*******

"_**I shouldn't have to… It's coming out a little now…"**_

"It's coming out? Okay, just give it one big tug; I can deal with the pain…" Kurai said, and clenched her teeth. Makoto gave a gentle-yet forceful-tug, and the boot came off, and the human cried out.

"_**It's out…and your ankle looks sprained. I shouldn't have let you come with me, Kurai… You could have ended up a lot worse than this…"**_ the Xenomorph said quietly, removing her other boot and laying them both aside.

"Nah… Don't worry about it. Ko would never be up for something like this… Boy, it's all over the place, isn't it?" Kurai said, looking at her blood on the floor.

*******

"_Damn!_" Taki said quietly, looking at the Yautja humorously.

*******

"What was that? I though I heard something…" Kurai said, looking over toward the door.

"_**I didn't hear anything…"**_

"It's going suck when Ko finds out about this…" she muttered.

"_**I don't think you're in danger… Perhaps next time, we should take a larger party with us…at least we can catch more that way."**_

"Oh, you let go of your eel when it landed on my back, didn't you? Too bad; I've never seen one that big..."

"_**Never mind; I'm getting Jim…you're bleeding again."**_

"Help me up then; best go confront Ko…" Kurai said, and the Praetorian gently helped her onto her good leg, before going out the door…

"Hey, Ko…" she said sheepishly, upon the pair's bumping into him in the hall…


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer – Don't own AVP.**

**Okay, I watched Avatar today; I must admit, if you watch it just for the movie and not the environmentalist politics, it's pretty good. I wasn't "blown away" by the CGI, but it's made it from the box in my closet and into my DVD case, which is quite an accomplishment. Anyway, I'm thinking of an Avatar story sometime in the future; any input?**

**Chapter 24**

"Hey, Ko…" Kurai said, rather sheepishly. She'd wanted to wait until she was bandaged up to tell him about her injuries. Instead, she was standing there, bloody, barefoot and topless, with Adelicia and Taki staring at her with odd looks on their faces.

"How…could you?" Adelicia whispered, but was looking at Makoto, and beginning to cry.

"_**What are you talking about? I had no choice, Addie."**_ he replied, cocking his head.

"And you, Kurai… You felt as though you had no choice in this?" Ko asked, turning to his mate, who suddenly fully realized she was topless and covered up as best she could with the one are that wasn't being used to support herself.

"Well, I hated to sneak around on you, but I thought you'd still be asleep, and I didn't want to bother you." the human said, and Ko's jaw dropped.

"You could have just woken me up! How long has this been going on?" he asked.

"Well, it happened about thirty minutes ago…" Kurai said.

"For that you'd throw away four months?" Adelicia asked, sounding devestated.

"_**I couldn't just leave her lying there in agony! I had to let go of my eel and help!"**_ the Praetorian defended, sounding confused.

"You couldn't have waited for me awhile longer? You had to find your pleasure with another woman?"

"_**I'd no idea when you'd be around, and Kurai was so wet and helpless… I had to do something for her!"**_

"I would have done something for her! I did it last night; I could have done it again this morning! And I could have done it much better than you could!" Ko snarled at Makoto.

"Wait, what in the _hell_ are you talking about, Ko?" Kurai asked, beginning to feel slightly dizzy from her blood loss and the pain in her ankle.

"I'm talking about _you_ mating with _him_!" the hunter roared, pointing accusingly at Makoto, who let go of Kurai in his shock, allowing the human to hit the floor rather painfully.

"Ow..." she said, and tried to get up, but only succeeded in rolling over onto her belly before the pain got to her and she decided to stay still.

"Why, Makoto?" Adelicia asked, imploringly.

"_**Oh, Addie… That's not what happened at all…"**_ Makoto said gently, attempting to comfort the human.

"Don't try to deny it! You were just saying how Kurai was in agony and needed you…" she snapped, moving away.

"_**Yes; she was attacked by a native creature and was in serious danger! If I hadn't intervened, she could easily have died! I have no sexual interest in Kurai and never have, Addie!"**_

"But those things you were saying…about your…eel?" Ko asked, still not convinced.

"_**We were fishing; I'd caught a large eel from the river when some animal came and leapt on Kurai's back. In my surprise, I let go of the thing."**_

"So, there was no cheating going on here after all?" Taki asked, speaking for the first time.

"No; just me, seriously injured, bleeding to death down here on the cold, dirty floor." Kurai replied flatly.

"And my relationship isn't over!" Adelicia sniffed happily.

"And my mate didn't run off with a kiande amedha!" Ko said triumphantly.

"Nope… Just me, dying of my giant cat wounds…" Kurai said patiently.

"Never a dull moment around here!" Taki laughed, smacking Ko on the back.

"_**Isn't that the truth! Just think of how badly this could have turned out! I could have lost my mate, and you, too, Ko."**_ the Xeno said, and Ko made an apology to him.

"Getting a little pissed off down here."

"See, these things are the kind of things that ruin friendships and destroy trust. I know that Kurai would never cheat on Ko; and Makoto wouldn't cheat on you, Adelicia. He's just not that type of guy…Xenomorph…thingy." Taki said, good-naturedly.

"I suppose that I did rush to conclusions… We overheard you two, you see; or, rather, we overheard Kurai. It did sound like something…unseemly…was going on between you two." Ko explained.

"_**Thinking back now, I suppose it might have sounded a bit sexual…"**_ Makoto agreed.

"Still bleeding…getting dizzy." Kurai said.

"Especially the eel part; I mean, how many times in a lifetime does something like that come around?" Taki thought out loud.

"I've got to agree; and that part about letting it go…the odds of saying something like that have to be incredibly low!" Adelicia laughed quietly, wiping some tears away.

"I hate every one of you."

"_**This is going to make a rather amusing story."**_ Makoto was saying.

"You're never having sex with me again, Ko."

"We need a laugh every now and then; it keeps us from going crazy." Taki added.

"You're all going to die."

"True; and I'm glad that we _can_ laugh at this. I mean, at a time like this. So, you were just helping Kurai with her inj ured–KURAI!" Adelicia cried, seeing the other human on the floor.

"You win first place…" she said, before passing out.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 25**

"Bite me." Kurai said, as Ko offered another apology.

"I already told you; I'm sorry!" the hunter pleaded.

"Go away; I'm _very_ angry with you right now, Ko." she said flatly.

"Kurai…please!" Ko begged. Kurai sighed; he really was kind of cute when he begged…

"All right; I'll forgive you for leaving me on the floor to bleed to death while you were having a laugh, and for thinking that I could cheat on you." she said, rubbing his head.

"Thank you…" he purred.

Kurai had been attended to by Jim, and was now lying on her belly on a pallet in the floor of Adelicia's room. Thanks to a powerful painkiller from her medi-kit, she barely felt the pain from the scratches, and her ankle had been nicely bandaged, and the swelling was going down nicely.

"All right, time to change your bandages." Adelicia said, entering the room. She had felt awful for her neglect as well, and had happily volunteered to attend to Kurai's wounds until she was healed.

Ko took his leave, and Adelicia began removing the old bandages to clean and disinfect her back. For some reason, the Yautja found it rather unsettling to look at his mate's back.

Gently, she removed the dressings, and washed the area with warm water, before applying a powerful antiseptic ointment provided by Jim.

"Sorry if this hurts; but it's far better than an infection. We've no idea what kind of bacteria live on this planet yet." she said, upon seeing her discomfort.

"Yeah… I guess you're right." Kurai agreed. Adelicia then began to apply a thick layer of a painkiller from Kurai's medi-kit, which numbed her back nicely. The drug also had a mild euphoric effect on Yautja; which was much stronger in humans. Within a few minutes, the injured woman was feeling a pleasant, fuzzy sensation all over.

"Oh, dear… All out of clean cloths… I'll go get some more." she said, and hurried away.

"And leave me alone again." Kurai muttered, lying her head down.

In a few minutes, she heard the clicking of claws on the floor, and looked up to see Aiyoku standing in the doorway, looking at her curiously.

"_**Oh, my… What happened to you?"**_ he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Just a little accident…" the human replied, and the hybrid took a seat next to her and looked at her back, giving curious clicks of his mandibles.

"_**It looks painful."**_ he said, after a moment.

"A little; but I took some medicine earlier, and I've got to tell you, I'm feeling neat right now."

"_**Really? You humans are quite strange… Where is your mate?"**_ he asked, on an afterthought.

"He went off somewhere."

"_**So, we're alone?"**_ Aiyoku purred, lightly running a hand through the human's hair.

"Yeah… And there are two of you…" Kurai replied, as the medication began to really kick in.

Kurai was amusing herself with watching some dust float around in the gloom, and feeling a little tired.

"_**What's going on in here?"**_ Makoto asked amusedly, entering the room with Adelicia.

"Look at all the little tiny things in the air… I wonder if they have somewhere to be…" the human mused, reaching out to catch the dust.

"_**What happened to her? Why is she injured like this?" **_Aiyoku asked, as Kurai gently tugged on his tail.

"_**Well, we were down at the river, and I had my eel in my hands…and something landed on Kurai's back, so I let it go…and I attacked…and she landed on the eel and was wet and ended up like…this…"**_ Makoto said, growing tired of the explanation, which he'd had to give several times that day.

"_**So…she landed on your…eel…and you did this? A bit of a harsh reaction, don't you think?"**_ the hybrid asked, looking again at the human on the ground, who'd now grown bored of his tail and was looking around for something else to amuse herself.

"Hey, look at the patterns my hand makes!" the human said, waving it in front of her face and grinning.

"_**I mean, I know you've got a mate, but really! You could just have said "no"; couldn't you?" If she'd have grabbed for my eel, I'd have…"**_ Aiyoku purred at the thought.

"_**I didn't do this, fool! Some creature landed on her back and I killed it! I just happened to have caught an eel in the river beforehand!"**_ the Praetorian snapped, apparently having to explain this part more times than he'd have liked to.

"_**Well…all right… I'll believe you, for now. I'd watch him, Adelicia…especially since he can't hang on to his eel."**_ the hybrid hissed suggestively.

"Maybe _you_ should hang on to his eel for him!" Kurai laughed.

Both Xenomorphs shot the human rather horrified looks at the mental image they got from her statement.

"You can't tell me that's not funny, Makoto!" Adelicia laughed, and began to attend to Kurai's back with the clean cloths she'd brought.

"What's not funny?" Ko asked, reappearing. He'd apparently figured that Adelicia had finished bandaging Kurai and was coming back to join his mate.

"Aiyoku wants to grab Makoto's eel, but Makoto's not into it. Adelicia seems pretty cool with it, though; kudos on the open relationship, guys." Kurai explained, sounding sleepy.

"W-what?" Ko asked, looking at the two Xenomorphs.

"_**Nothing!"**_ they snapped.

"What in the name of Paya is going on here? I left for two minutes, and this place erupts into a homosexual kiande amedha orgy? What else am I going to miss?" the Yautja asked, looking around in confusion.

"On your left, gay orgies…on your right, sheet music, mirrors, and ladies' undergarments!" Kurai quipped.

"_**For the love of… Can we stop with the innuendo, please? I'm tired of all the sex talk…especially since all **__**I**__** can do is listen…"**_ Shisome spoke up, sounding a little irritated.

"What?" Adelicia sounded a little alarmed.

"_**She's not getting any."**_ Aiyoku said bluntly, as Kurai resumed pulling on his tail.

"_**No, she's not; and she can hear you!"**_ the Queen snapped.

Everyone coughed and muttered various apologies to the female, who seemed to sigh. Ko moved to kneel down next to Kurai, and Aiyoku moved to stand a little way away.

"_**It's all right. I'm sorry for being irritable."**_ Shisome replied sheepishly.

"What's going on in here? Have you changed her bandages, Adelicia?" Jim asked, as he passed through the halls with Lee.

"Yes, she's all fixed up; just a little…well, you know…from the medication." the human replied, looking down at Kurai.

"Good; the wounds appear to be healing nicely. I'd have been in here earlier to assist, but Momo and I were getting a message from Yamamoto-san." the Shadow said, looking at Kurai's bandages to see that they were applied properly.

"Oh? How is he doing? Is he planning another trip here in the near future?" Ko asked.

"No; it's getting harder to explain his prolonged absences. People are starting to ask questions about where he keeps going. He said that he'd talk with Kurai when she began to feel better. He and Ishi were both concerned for her safety, especially being so far away." Jim replied.

"Speaking of absences, I think that we should consider going back to the Silver Crescent clan and figure out what to do next. Stone's after Kurai; so it might be best to have her away from this place for awhile." the hunter suggested, patting his mate's head gently. She had fallen asleep, and was now murmuring something about giant cats.

"_**I hate to say it, but I think you're right. You've got the ability to leave this planet; you can set out to find her, if need be."**_ Makoto said.

"_**I agree; I hate to see you leave, but it might be the only choice for the moment."**_ Shisome agreed sadly.

"We'll have to wait until Kurai wakes up to see what she thinks." Ko reminded.

"All right…and Taki, too. Where is he, by the way?" Shisome asked.

"_**He told me that he was worried about Kurai and went back to the ship to get some more of your medicine for her. He should be back soon."**_ Aiyoku replied.

"Then we'll just have to wait for Kurai to wake up. I'm sure she'll agree that it'll be best for us to go back to the clan ship. Besides; some of our comrades there will be anxious to see her again…they're fascinated by Kurai." Ko admitted.

"When will that stuff wear off, anyway?" Adelicia asked.

"In a couple of hours; it's not especially strong for us, but it's never really been tested on an Ooman before."

"You could have mentioned that before I rubbed it on her back, Ko." Adelicia said, looking at Kurai and sounding alarmed.

"What is the Ooman expression? Hindsight is 20/20?" Makoto joked.

"Oh, dear…" the other human sighed, as Kurai let out a snore.


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 26**

"So, I was pretty out of it for awhile, wasn't I?" Kurai asked, after she'd awoken from her drugged slumber and was once again coherent. It had been three days, and her wounds had healed enough for the three of them to begin the journey back to the Silver Crescent clan's ship.

"You were a bit loopy." Taki smiled at the thought. Apparently, the woman had gotten up during her sleep and had wandered, topless, into the midst of a rather tender moment between Makoto and Adelicia. The misunderstanding had been cleared up, and the two bore no ill will toward Kurai for her actions.

"Once again, sorry for interrupting you two…" she said to the human and Xenomorph couple, who were there as well.

"It's fine; you couldn't help it." Adelicia said gently.

"_**It will make for an interesting story."**_ Makoto added humorously.

They were all walking through the jungle toward the ship. Kurai, Taki, Ko, Makoto, Adelicia, Jim, Lee, Momo, Aiyoku, and Shisome; all were heading for yet another separation. In truth, a motlier crew of people could hardly have been imagined by anyone. Xenomorphs, humans, and Yautja; three species who would, under any other circumstance, have torn each other to pieces, were about to bid a sad goodbye to one another.

Kurai, Ko, and Taki were all carrying their blankets, along with Oriki's ashes, which had been gathered by the Shadows upon his burning. The Yautja's ship had disintegrated upon his death; a failsafe built into his-and every Yautja with a ship's-wrist computer. Kurai intended to send the remains to Oriki's mother, with an-edited-note explaining things.

They were nearing the ship now, and all knew that the time was fast approaching when they'd have to say goodbye.

"_**I'm going to miss all of you."**_ Shisome said, lowering her magnificently crested head to eye level with the human. He tail was drooping, and she continually made sad little pouting noises.

"We'll be back here when this is all over. We won't have to worry about anything then." Kurai assured her, stroking the Queen's head affectionately.

"_**We'll go hunting when you return."**_ Makoto said determinedly.

"Then you'll see what a _real_ hunter can do, kiande amedha!" Ko said smugly.

"_**Indeed you will."**_ Makoto retorted, giving the Xenomorph version of a smirk.

"I made you a lunch for the trip…" Adelicia said, beginning to cry. She handed Kurai a bundle, before bursting into tears and being comforted by Makoto. The three thanked her.

"_**If Ko ever bores you when you two are…you know…think of me; it should help."**_ Aiyoku purred, moving to embrace the human, but running a hand over her rear in the process. Ko growled.

"Taki; practice that thing I showed you last night. I want you to get it right before trying it on me again. It's a real turn-off when one loses their balance in the middle of…matters." Momo winked at the blonde.

"_**Tell me about it…"**_ Aiyoku muttered.

"Miss Kurai; please take care of yourself. Your grandparents will have my head if you come to any harm. Besides; I'm finding that Ko's species is more and more interesting." Jim said, laying a hand on Kurai's shoulder.

They stood in the clearing a few more minutes, all giving farewells and bits of advice, before Kurai could stand it no longer and had to lower the ship's boarding ramp.

The three of them said their final goodbyes to everyone, before turning and trudging up the ramp. The group that had been with them hurried away from the ship to avoid the fiery takeoff process. Kurai put her blankets down in an empty seat in the cockpit and began the launch procedures.

"Everybody out of the way unless you want to be toast." she said over the loudspeaker.

Once it was confirmed that no one was in the vicinity, Kurai started up the ship. Taki and Ko hurried to strap themselves into their seats before they were thrown back against the wall of the small room.

The ship took off, reducing the surrounding foliage to cinders. Kurai waited until they were safely out of the planet's orbit before setting the coordinates for the Silver Crescent clan.

"So, what are we going to do once we get back to the clan ship?" Taki asked.

"We try to figure out our next move." Ko replied.

"Which is?" he asked.

"I think all we can do is wait for her to contact us again. Let's face it, guys; she's got an entire galaxy to hide in. There's no way we can track her; her trail's been cold for too long." Kurai said, getting up from her seat when the ship began to fly smoothly through space.

"We're helpless…and it pisses me off." Taki muttered.

"It can't be helped." the other human said firmly.

They all settled in and tried to find things to occupy their time until they arrived at their destination. Kurai discussed the virtues of the tessen with Ko, while Taki settled in to watch some old Korean high school drama on his data pad. They mulled around the rest of the day, until it was time to go to bed. All would sleep rather fitfully that night.

For the next few days, the three of them found ways to keep themselves busy. They were heading back to the clan ship at top speed, hoping to get there in time to do some actual thinking before having to fly off again. The one thing that they had to do was to restock their food supply. The provisions had run a little low on their extended trip; especially the dried meat. Kurai was informed that, for a small fee, she could take pretty much anything she wanted from the storerooms onboard the ship.

They were all eager to see their friends again. Kurai and Taki needed repairs made on their armor, and Kurai's fans needed repairs as well. Ne'Renh would likely not be happy with the damage, and would also likely demand an explanation for it. Kantra would be glad to see them; as well as Guan and Dto, and Elder Yeyinde would be nice to talk to after so long.

Now, they were all sitting around, bored and restless. This was mainly due to the fact that they were due to arrive at the Silver Crescent clan that day. The huge craft was looming nearer; longer than ten football fields and higher than any building on Earth.

"Entering vicinity of ship, please have authorization ready for boarding." a Yautja voice clicked over the intercom system.

Kurai punched in the security code she'd been given with the ship's remote, and waited for a response.

"Authorization code accepted. You may now proceed into the ship." the voice authorized, and the huge docking bay doors opened.

The human eased the ship into the hangar, and, once the doors were closed, killed the engines and rose from her seat. With hearts pounding, the three of them disembarked from the craft and prepared to enter the main part of the ship.


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Okay, I just got out of college, and it's taken some time for me to update with all the moving and everything. Plus, we had some weirdness with the Internet at my relatives' house. Finally, I present to you; Chapter 27!**

**Chapter 27**

"So, where have you been?" Kantra asked, taking a drink from a large metal cup.

Kurai, Taki, Ko, Kantra, Guan, and Dto were sitting around a large table in one of the lounges onboard the ship. They'd run into each other at various points, and were eager to catch up with one another on what they'd all been doing since Kurai's group had departed a couple of weeks previous.

"Well, we…tried to find a good planet to hunt on, but we…weren't able to find anything really exceptional. We figure we'll stay here a few days before heading off again." Ko said.

"You found nothing? That's not good, Ko; you know that your honor rests on–" Guan began, sounding urgent and shocked.

"I know damn well what my honor rests on! I grew up with the same codes you did!" Ko snapped.

"All I'm saying is that it looks bad when you go on a three-week hunt and have nothing to show for the effort." Guan replied.

"Believe me, I know…" the other hunter muttered, and took a drink of water from the cup before him.

"Hey, is Ne'Renh around?" Kurai asked.

"He's in his quarters, as always." Kantra replied, sounding bored.

"How's the Elder doing? I'd like to see what the old fart's up to." Taki said.

"Oh, you wouldn't have heard; he ended up in the medical bay recently." Dto said quickly, apparently somewhat excited to speak for the first time.

"What happened?" Kurai asked, feeling genuine concern for the cranky old hunter.

"He was challenged for leadership of the clan. Any Yautja with a rank of Blooded or higher has the right to challenge the clan leader at any time." Guan explained.

"Is he critically injured?" Ko asked, sounding slightly worried.

"No; he suffered a dislocated shoulder, but he's going to be fine. I'm glad of it, too; the male who challenged him was a young hothead who'd just been Blooded and got a little cocky. They were in the kehrite for no more than five minutes before the Blooded ended up with a broken leg and a few cracked ribs. The Elder only got his injuries because a move that he was executing was a bit poorly timed." Dto said.

"Who was the Blooded? Anyone we know?" Taki asked, looking around at the other Yautja in the room.

"No; or at least, I don't think so. You see, a few days ago, a group of hunters from one of our fellow clans came here to exhibit their latest trophies; the male was one of those. Obviously, the other clan wouldn't stay after one of their own behaved so shamefully; so the left the day before yesterday. Luckily, the leader was able to smooth things over with Elder Yeyinde; so there will be no lasting resentments. It took a few good trophies and some pretty fine ritual weapons to make it right, let me tell you!" Guan put in, sounding somewhat like a human woman gossiping over a fence to her neighbor.

"Even Ne'Renh was impressed with the quality of some of those weapons…or as much as _he_ could be…" Kantra admitted.

"How's the Elder doing now?" Kurai asked.

"He's fine. His shoulder hurts a bit, but other than that, he's the same cranky person he always was and always will be." Dto informed her.

"Good… Not that he's hurt, of course; it's good that he won the fight. The last thing that this clan needs is some pup with a bad attitude as our leader." Ko snorted.

"Unlike you." Taki muttered.

"Hey, if things got too bad around here, I'd fucking leave. If you don't like a job because the boss is a dick, quit. If the clan gets taken over by an asshole, find another clan; there are plenty of others out there. Simple as that." Kurai said firmly.

"It's wrong to leave a clan simply because you don't like the way the leader manages things. I'd do it, of course; but I'm just saying, it's wrong." Kantra said.

"And I'll go with you. I'd rather see everyone in this clan dead than dishonored by some young punk."

They all turned to see Elder Yeyinde standing there, his arm in a sling and holding a cup with his good hand.

"That's comforting…seriously. I'm going to sleep better at night knowing how you feel about all of us." Kurai said, raising an eyebrow at her superior.

"I'm sorry if I'm being too blunt; but lying is dishonorable." the Elder replied, taking another chair from a nearby table. The group-or at least, the Yautja-hurried to make room for their leader, and one of the servers in the lounge scurried over to the table to see if his glass needed refilling.

"I agree with the Elder." Ko said.

"You would." Kantra jeered.

"How did you know we were here? I thought you were in the medical bay." Kurai asked.

"My shoulder is dislocated; it's not like I'm missing half my body or anything. I'll heal in a couple of days, if you'd like another match, Ooman." the Elder said, nodding to the human.

"If I remember, I won our fight, Elder." she replied.

"And I'm all the more eager for a rematch because of it. Will you be staying for a couple of days?"

"Actually, we're just going to be here long enough to restock our provisions and have some repairs made to our armor. We'll be off again as soon as we finish with that." Ko said simply.

"Ah, yes… I'm eager to see what exotic trophies you've brought back from your journey." Elder Yeyinde said, looking around at the three.

"Actually…there are no trophies…" Taki said sheepishly.

"No? How do you come from a three-week hunt with nothing to show for it? You _do_ remember that you're supposed to take trophies from your hunts, yes?"

"We couldn't find anything that seemed suitable to take trophies _from_." Kurai said quickly.

"I'm the one who should be making _that_ call, Ooman. It's a foolish thing, at best." he scolded.

"Well, we're going to get something really good our next time out. We just had some bad luck, is all." Taki covered for his friends.

"I certainly hope so. I thought it would be obvious; you can't be in a hunting clan if you don't hunt." the Elder said sternly.

"Yes, Elder…" the three of them mumbled.

"Good, we understand each other… Now, you said that you needed to restock provisions…how much money do you have?" he asked.

"Money?" Kurai asked.

"Yes; you have to pay for the supplies. Those things aren't free, you know." Kantra interjected.

"We…uhm…don't…have…any…money…" Kurai muttered.

"Then I suggest you take up jobs. I'll admit that I like you, but I'm not going to cover your expenses." the older male informed them.

"Jobs? Where do we find jobs?" Kurai asked.

"Ask around. I'm sure someone has some work that needs doing around here." he replied, and drained his cup before standing to leave.

"And remember; bring back some trophies from your next…excursion. I'll not have you treating this place like a vacation home while you see the sights of the galaxies. If you want to see sights, by all means, do so; but get your trophies beforehand!" with this, turned and left the room.

"We must go as well; there's a group in the kehrite practicing, and we want to join them." Guan said, standing, and Dto followed.

"I'm going to bed…because I'm too damn tired to care where this conversation is going." Kantra mumbled, and he took his leave as well.

"At least he's honest about it." Taki muttered, smiling.

"Yeah… So, where will we find work?" Kurai thought out loud.

"We can worry about that after we know exactly how much we'll need. I don't want to work for a week and find out that we've only got a fraction of the money we need." Ko replied.

"So where do we find out how much we need?" Taki asked.

"We'll need to go to the ship's stores. They're located in the middle decks. One of the workers there will tell us how much it will be to get what we need; after that, we'll get jobs and earn what we need." Ko answered.

"Then let's get to it." Kurai said, rising from her chair and stretching.

The other two followed, and they were soon on their way to the ship's storerooms.

_Two hours later…_

"Five thousand? They want five thousand?" Kurai said in disbelief.

The three of them were in Kurai's room, after a long and drawn-out bartering session with the head of the workers at the ship's supply stores. They could get all the provisions they needed for a six-month voyage for five thousand of the local currency. The only problem now was finding a job that would pay that much before Stone made her next move.

"We'd better start looking through the want adds pretty quick. There are three of us, so we should be able to earn it a lot faster." Kurai said, lying back on her bed.

"Let's get out there then." Ko replied.

"Okay, so, aside from prostitution, how the fuck are we going to make that kind of money?" Kurai asked.

"Like Elder Yeyinde said; ask around. There's got to be a few people onboard this ship who need some odd jobs done." Taki answered, and the three got up and left the room.

"Hey, let me check my data pad; maybe there's some sort of want ads on here or something…" Kurai said, taking out the small device.

"Hmm… Here we go… There are listings from several people needing jobs performed… Okay… Oh, here's something; a hunter on deck twelve needs his trophies moved to the other side of the ship. He says he'll pay fifty an hour, and extra if the job's done within the day. He'll be in the weapons area for the next hour waiting for a response."

"I'll take care of that one; I'm stronger than you two. I'll see you at the end of the day." Ko said, and took off to find the hunter who put out the notice.

"All right… Maybe there's something we could do… One guy needs volunteers to capture some Xeno eggs…sounds fun; but we've got no time… Someone else needs help sweeping up the mess hall…it only pays five an hour, though… Cook needed…nope; that's a permanent position… Crap! There's nothing on here we can do; or have time to do, at any rate…" Kurai complained, putting the device away.

"Let's face it; the Yautja job market is no place for us humans." Taki observed.

"No…but maybe we can create our own jobs… Maybe we can get people to give us money in exchange for our talents. You know; work with what we've got." the other human thought out loud.

"I thought you said prostitution was out. I mean, I'm not above doing some degrading things, but the thought of those mandibles on... No…just no… Besides, speaking as both your friend and a guy…you don't have…you know…much…to work with…up top…"

"Okay, first of all, fuck you; I've got plenty to work with, according to Ko. Second, we're not going to prostitute ourselves, you nympho! We have other things we can do. Ooh! I know! What about our martial arts? We can do demonstrations of our...fighting prowess…or something." Kurai suggested.

"You mean, like…kick cans off each other's heads? Because the last time we did that you kicked a teensy bit too low and my voice was an octave higher for a week afterwards."

"But we're not fifteen anymore; and I'm not wearing cleats this time…"

"Very well, but if I end up hitting high notes again, you'd better sleep with one eye open!"

_An hour later…_

"Come one, come all! See the exhibition of exotic fighting techniques of the Ooman home planet!"

Kurai was standing in the middle of a large crowd of Yautja, wearing a somewhat revealing altered black kimono with purple obi. She and Taki had come up with a plan to make money by showing off the various fighting techniques they'd learned on Earth. Judging by the large number of people, there was a great deal of interest in the subject.

Taki stood a few feet away from her, holding his shurikens and waiting for the signal to begin. The plan was to basically imitate Earth's knife-throwers and hopefully get some tips. They hated to use their talents in such a way, but there didn't seem to be any other options at the time.

"Today, you've got the privilege of seeing two Oomans performing for your entertainment! I will be held, helpless, as my companion here throws his stars of death to knock this fruit from my head!" she called, and there was a general whisper of excitement throughout the room.

"You'll notice a container over there; feel free to give generously…in case I don't make it! Taki! Prepare yourself!"

With this, she took a folded bandanna from the front of her kimono and tied it around her head. Taki moved behind her and tied her hands together and paced a naxa fruit on her head. Going back to his original position, he called back to his friend.

"Are you ready?"

"I've made my peace with the gods!" she called back.

The male human took careful aim…and threw the shuriken…

"_Oh, shit…maybe this was a bad –"_ Kurai thought, as she sensed the weapon coming toward her head…

A second later, she felt the shuriken connect with something; since there was no excruciating pain, she could only assume that it was the fruit that had suffered the blow. A loud cheer from the crowd confirmed her assumption, and she could feel the fruit-now in two pieces-fall into her lap.

The next thing she knew, the blindfold was removed and Taki's face filled her view.

"Holy shit, Kurai; we pulled it off!" he said quietly.

She was about to respond, when a sound filled both their ears. Turning, they saw that the crowd had rushed to fill their tip bowl.

"Cools." both humans said.

"I wonder how much we're making…" Taki thought out loud.

"We can count it later; think of something else to do!" Kurai hissed.

"Ooh! What about-and I hate to say it-a sexy fan dance?"

"What?"

"They're all guys…guys who haven't seen a female in a long time, and who mostly don't have a chance with one when they _do_ see them!" the blonde encouraged.

"What do you want me to do; the dance of the seven veils?"

"No; just…do… Oh! Do the beginner's routine of your fan moves; but make it sexy."

"Oh, God… Fine!" Kurai agreed.

"Honorable warriors! You're about to be privy to an exhibition rarely seen even on Earth! Kurai, the conquer of the Queen kiande amedha, will perform for you a dance of a somewhat…feminine nature! Remember; you can look all you want…but don't touch!" Taki called. This got their attention faster than the first bit of the performance did. The mutter in the crowd intensified tenfold, and there was some pushing and shoving amongst them to get a better view of the show.

Kurai shook her head and rolled her eyes; men were all the same, no matter what the species. To add to the atmosphere, she threw off one shoulder of her kimono, revealing the black tube top she was wearing underneath, eliciting several purrs and a few cheers of applause.

Taking a deep breath, she imagined that she was back in her old dojo, her sensei had just commanded her to demonstrate what she'd learned over the course of the last few weeks, and she would either get it right or be held back while the others advanced.

Raising her fans, she remembered the "sexy" that she was supposed to be throwing into the mix, and began.

The moves were simple; unfolding the fan in slow motion, she waved it seductively all around. Going into her routine, she remembered the "sexy" part of what she was supposed to be doing and added a few spins and some sensual swaying. The "dance" lasted for about ten minutes, with the clamor of the crowd growing louder and louder, until they erupted in cheers as she threw up her fans and bent over backward to catch them a second before they landed on the floor. At the finale, the crowd of males erupted in cheers and roars. The sound of money going into the bowl in the corner was almost deafening, and the vessel was soon overflowing with coins.

"Wow, that was great!" Taki laughed, coming over to join her as she was putting her fans away and pulling up her kimono.

"Indeed it was…"

For the second time that day, they turned to see Elder Yeyinde standing before them and tossing a few coins into the bowl.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Kurai asked, picking up the bowl.

"I always come out to see what makes every single male onboard my ship gather in one place. By the way; you're quite resourceful, but this shouldn't turn into a habit." he answered.

"I don't plan on it becoming a habit. Believe me; if we had the time, we'd be doing real jobs." the human female assured.

"I certainly hope not!" Kantra called out over the now-disbursing crowd.

"Take a cold shower, you drunken lecher!" Elder Yeyinde snapped.

"I only hope that everyone doesn't lose respect for you because of this…" Taki said, apparently thinking of this for the first time.

"Well, if anyone says anything, I'll kick his ass." Kurai scoffed.

"That's one way to handle it. You have my permission to do so." the clan leader nodded with a Yautja smile.

"Okay then… That takes care of the money, I think. If not, you can just dance and show a little thigh; we'll be millionaires!" Taki figured.

"_You_ show some thigh!" Kurai muttered.

"Oh, I don't need _your_ permission!"

"What's this? What's going on here?"

Now Ko was coming toward them, looking curiously from one face to another.


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Sorry it's been so long; I had a lot going on.**

Chapter 28

"YOU DID WHAT?" Ko cried, when he, Kurai, and Taki were back in Kurai's room.

Kurai was changing from her kimono into a pair of jeans and half-shirt, while Taki was counting the money that they and Ko had earned that day.

"Chill, Ko; I just did some of my old fan routine. I wasn't stripping for them or anything." the human reassured.

"You're my _mate_, Kurai! You shouldn't be doing such things now…or ever! There are _far_ more tasteful ways to earn money, you know! What if your grandparents had seen you behaving like that?"

"Kurai, didn't your grandma dance for money during high school?" Taki asked offhandedly.

"Sometimes; and she made her first semester's college tuition betting on dice."

"She also sold homemade sake, didn't she?" the man asked.

"She called it sake, and she sold a lot of it."

"And your mom got a fake ID and practically lived at the pachinko parlor for about two years before she met your dad, didn't she?"

"That's the story. Dad always said that he fought in underground matches for the money for mom's wedding ring…but he had bought some of my grandma's old sake, so I guess that story's not too reliable…"

"And grandpa played the villain in a couple of samurai movies, my uncle Matso allegedly sold some bootleg movies, aunt Ai dealt cards, uncle Hiro was-once again-allegedly a mercenary for a time, until he got bored of it, uncle Sato posed as the proprietor of a hot spring for awhile, aunt Michi was supposedly in a few adult films, although, with my family's influence, they likely never reached the public."

"Which one of your uncles is a monk now?" Taki inquired, putting a handful of money into a bag.

"That would be uncle Sato. After the hot spring thing, he decided to mend his ways and devote his life to teaching the goodness of Buddha…him and his many, many girlfriends…"

"What is wrong with your family?" Ko cried.

"They're rich and they get bored very easily. It's bad mojo man." the human male replied.

"We just find our own ways to make money, is all." Kurai explained.

"But in such…indecent ways?"

"Let's save this for another day, guys. We've got the money we need for the food and quite a bit extra. The only thing to do now is get the supplies and our armor repaired." Taki interrupted.

"All I'm saying is, now that we're together, you shouldn't be showing off like that to other males. What about your honor? What about your reputation with this clan? Do these things mean nothing to you?" Ko asked.

"Yeah, they do; but the point is that I made enough to get us back looking for Stone! I wasn't naked, I wasn't fucking people for money! It was the same routine I was taught when I first started learning the fans, but improvised to entertain the crowd. I'm sorry if you feel emasculated or something; but I did it, it's done, get over it!"

"Fine! It's done; I can't change it, and I can accept that. I can also accept that you won't do it again."

"Excuse me?" Kurai asked, darkness creeping into her voice.

"Oh, shit…" Taki muttered.

"My mate is not going to parade her body in front of other males like some piece of common trash! It's indecent!" Ko said, a wavering finality to his voice.

"Take it back, man…" Taki whispered.

"Nobody tells me what I can and cannot do, Ko! Not since my parents died, anyway! Not my grandparents, not my family, not the police, not Elder Yeyinde, NOBODY! And if you think for one moment that you've got any control over me, I'll beat the shit out of you so hard you'll taste your own ass!"

"She'll do it, too!" Taki said quietly.

"I don't want to control you, Kurai; I just want you to think before you do something like this! Do you realize that the males onboard might see you as just some…some…_sex object_…now?"

"They're males, I'm a female; they probably just imagined me with a pair of mandibles as soon as I stepped onboard for the first time. Hell, that's what I was counting on! Now we've got a crap load of money, and a lot of males have a something to think about tonight; everybody wins." Kurai said.

"But your reputation!" Ko insisted.

"Look, if anyone says anything, I'll kick their ass. Believe me; there aren't a whole lot of guys onboard that pose much of a threat to me. Besides, we're going to be out of here soon; by the time we get back, everyone will have something new to spank it to."

"Spank it?" Ko asked, confused.

"You know; the only friend you had before you met us?" Taki said, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"Must you be so…vulgar?" the Yautja asked, rolling his honey-colored eyes.

"Yes! And I'll give you two reasons why –" Taki began, and prepared for a speech, when Kurai's data pad alerted her to an incoming message.

"Hold off on the speech, Taki…" she said, and pulled out the device and checked the message.

"Hello, Kurai. It's been awhile." Irene Stone's image smirked back at her.


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer – Don't own AVP.**

**Short one, I know.**

**Chapter 28**

"You…" Kurai hissed, as the blonde woman's face appeared on the screen. Stone smiled smugly and spoke.

"Yes, me. We haven't spoken since our encounter on Pluvia. How is that Adelicia doing? She proved to be quite the adequate distraction, don't you think?"

"Fuck you." Kurai said.

"Ooh! Such language from the next head of the Yamamoto family! Your grandparents surely wouldn't approve of such behavior!" she said, shaking a finger at the other woman.

"Go to hell, bitch!" Taki said.

"I'd expect it from you, though…you little urchin… Anyway, I suppose you're wondering what I want, yes? It's simple; I wish to meet you, Kurai Blackwood. I want to settle things between you and me. You see, your release of those Xenomorphs led to the death of my brother; I can't just let that go, can I? I got what I needed on Pluvia, and now I believe I'm ready to stop playing with you and see my plans come to fruition. I'll send you the coordinates to my location, and expect you to be there within a week. If not, I'll just have to find another way to get your attention… Your Xenomorph friends should do nicely for that. Oh! I know! For every day you're late, I'll have my men kill one more of the hive on Pluvia." Stone said, as though she were hitting on a bright idea.

"You're bluffing." Kurai replied.

"Maybe I am, and maybe I'm not. Do you really want to risk it? What kind of friend are you?"

"Just send some Shadows to Pluvia…" Taki muttered, and Kurai nodded.

"You could, definitely, but they'd never get there in time. I have a shipload of soldiers with some very powerful chemicals onboard that are used in military laboratories to euthanize Xenomorphs. I've got enough of the stuff to take out ten hives at least. Now, I can't actually track _your_ ship, but I can track your _grandparents'_ ship…and destroy it…if you don't arrive within the week."

This made every single person in the room pay immediate and close attention to Irene Stone's next words.

"I thought that would make you take notice. Yes, I had Meisai leave a little…or rather, _big_…gift onboard _The Adamant_ during her last journey. A nice military-grade explosive delivered courtesy of Stone Pharmaceuticals."

"You lie!" Kurai yelled into the data pad.

"There's no way someone could leave a bomb on Hoshi's ship without someone finding it before now!" Taki agreed.

"Exactly. Nobody in their right mind would believe that someone could or would even attempt to do something like that to one of the Yamamotos. Nobody would ever suspect that _The Adamant_ is basically one huge bomb with an explosive power capable of destroying a small meteor…that would be absurd! Why don't you try to contact dear grandpa and see how he's doing? I'll wait…" she said, sitting back.

"Here, use my data pad!" Taki said, handing it to Kurai. She hurriedly tried to get her grandparents on the line, but kept getting a message that said that the connection was corrupted.

"Keep getting disconnected, do you? Don't you trust my word, Kurai?" Stone laughed.

"What did you do?" Kurai asked, through clenched teeth.

"I had one of my hacker friends tap into _The Adamant_'s computers. You'll never talk to or see your grandparents again unless you come to me."

"I guess I've got no choice." Kurai said, furious and defeated.

"I guess you don't. As I said before; I'm sending you the coordinates to where I am. You'll follow them and meet me at the indicated location in seven days. If not, your family's ship most certainly will not make it back to Earth."

A second later, Kurai received a transmission with a list of coordinates.

"You will meet me on a planet by the name of Eden 145. It's a vacation planet, but it's not in use much this time of year, so no one will interrupt our fun. Hurry up; your friends and family are all counting on you."

With this, she terminated the transmission, leaving Kurai and the others looking silently at a blank screen.

"Come on." Kurai said, saving the coordinates and turning off the data pad.

"You don't think that she's really got a bomb on _The Adamant_?" Taki asked quietly, as Kurai handed him his data pad back.

"I don't believe that she would go to all the trouble of making up such an elaborate tale. We should go; she doesn't seem the type to bluff about anything." Ko replied.

"Let's get our supplies and get the hell out of here." Kurai said determinedly, and began to pack.

"Right." both of them said together, and hurried off to their rooms to get their things.

_One hour later…_

"We're all ready then?" Kurai asked, turning in her seat to look at the others.

They'd had their supplies loaded into the ship, and were packed and ready to leave. Kurai was boiling with fury at Irene Stone and herself for not seeing something like this coming.

"We're ready. Let's get out of here." Ko said.

"Shouldn't we tell the others that we're leaving?" Taki asked, strapping himself into his seat as the engines rumbled to life.

"There's no time. There wasn't even time to get our armor fixed. We'll just have to make do with what we've got for now. I'm going to kill that bitch!"

Still cursing Irene Stone to hell for eternity, Kurai pulled the ship out of the hangar and out into the blackness of space.


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 30**

"I'm gonna kill the bitch…" Kurai was muttering to herself.

They had been traveling nonstop for two days now, with the tension steadily rising in the ship. Kurai was worried that she wouldn't get there in time to help her family, and piloted the craft with single-minded determination.

"_We're_ gonna kill that bitch." Taki corrected, taking a seat next to his friend. He'd been training down in the kehrite with Ko, who appeared a moment later.

"Fucking with us on Pluvia, and now this? She's not going to get away with this!" Kurai said, through clenched teeth.

"But, have you even thought of what we're going to do once we arrive at the location she indicated? You know as well as I do that it could be a trap." Ko said.

"I know it…but there's no other choice. I really think that she could and would destroy the ship if we didn't show up." Kurai replied.

"So, what's the plan then?" Taki inquired.

"Go in and kick her ass." the female said quietly.

"Sounds good to-hey! Looks like you've got a message, Kurai." Taki pointed out, looking at Kurai's data pad, which was lying on the control panel next to her mask.

"If it's that bitch again, I swear to God…"

Taking the data pad in one hand, Kurai put the ship on auto while she was checking the message. Opening the transmission, she was shocked to see…

"Grandpa!" she cried, looking at the older man's image on the screen.

"Yamamoto-san!" both Taki and Ko gasped, and pushed and shoved to get a better looked. Kurai plugged the data pad into the port on the control panel, allowing an onboard computer to magnify her grandfather's image a hundred times.

"We thought… Stone called a couple of days ago; she said she cut off communication to your ship and had a bomb on it!" Kurai exclaimed.

"She did. The crazy bitch had somebody screw around with our communication lines. They made it look like it was just some malfunction, but I'm better than that. She put a bomb here too; probably via Meisai. We took care of that and did a full sweep of the vessel and found two more. Everything's fine now, though; we're on Earth now and I'm using a line that only members of your family even know about." Ishi spoke up, putting his own image onscreen.

"She wants us to meet her on her own ground. She says she wants to end this." Taki said.

"I thought something like that would happen." Hoshi muttered.

"So, what do you propose we do?" Kurai translated for Ko.

"Judging by all that she's done so far, I can say that this woman is quite determined to have her way in this situation. For the moment, I'd advise going along with her little plans. We're going to keep up the pretense that it was just a systems malfunction and outwardly continue on with our lives; we don't want Stone catching on that we know about her plans. If you get the chance to kill her, do so; do not hesitate for an instant." he said, and Kurai nodded.

"There's…there's no way that she could be listening to us now, is there?" Taki asked.

"I seriously doubt it. This line is only for members of the Yamamoto family, and she hasn't had any access to your ship or computers. Even if she had, I don't think that she could have figured out the Yautja technology by now." Ishi responded.

"She said that she was holding the hive hostage unless I came to see her. What do we do about that?" Kurai asked, worried about her friends.

"You're already on your way to her, yes? Stay the course and she'll have no reason to go after them. I can't send any more Shadows to Pluvia; in case she's got monitoring satellites or something around the planet."

"Fair enough. Okay, we'll keep acting like she's got the upper…for now." Kurai said.

"Good. I'm going to have to go now; we're going to run a systems check on this ship and every one of the others until we're sure they're all clean. The house computers and those in our companies too."

"Good idea. We're going to be there in a couple of days; we'll get in touch with you when this is over." the woman assured.

"Make sure you do. Remember; you're meeting her on her own ground."

"Right." all there of them agreed at once.

"And remember that she's unpredictable and will likely have at least a few body guards around."

"Right."

"And be careful…all of you."

"Right."

"And Kurai…" he said, as if on an afterthought.

"Yes?"

"She's threatened and dishonored our family and your friends and allies…you know how the Iron Fan Clan _deals_ with that." he said lowly.

"Right." Kurai replied, her crimson eyes narrowing.

Hoshi nodded and terminated the communication, leaving everyone onboard _The Unrelenting_ sitting in silence.

_Two days later…_

After much more silence and tension, the ship began to show that the planet-Eden 145-was getting nearer every hour. The past couple of days were spent training almost nonstop, with none of them wanting to talk about what would happen once they arrived at their destination. They had contacted Pluvia and, once they'd confirmed that everyone in the hive was all right, had warned them about Stone and made sure that they began planning for the worst.

"Ten hours to destination." the onboard computer read.

"We'd best get some sleep; we've been overdoing it lately. We need to be in the best condition possible when we face whatever that psycho's got up her sleeve." Taki said, after the day's practice had ended.

"I guess…" Kurai said, but wanted to continue training.

"Adrenaline is all well and good; but you can't run on it forever, Kurai. Only a fool would go into a battle after three days with no sleep…at least not if he could help it." Ko said quietly, and the human sighed.

"Fine… I guess this is the only peace we're going to get for awhile." she admitted, laying her fans on a nearby table that she'd brought from the ship.

They went to their rooms and tried to get some rest for the battle ahead. Each lay on their own bed, wondering how the fight would turn out, and hoping for the best. Finally, sleep did visit the three, but it was the light sleep of uncertainty, and did not refresh the body or the mind. They didn't really even realize that they'd drifted off, until the ship's computer alerted them.

"Now entering orbit of planet: Eden 145. Will reach destination in ten minutes."

All of them rushed from their beds and hurried to put on their armor. They went to the cockpit, where they looked out the window onto the planet.

It was a green/blue planet, with a great deal of oceans and many large islands. The readings said that the place was used by the humans for recreational purposes, and had no native fauna suitable for any honorable hunting. The computer said that there were several human towns and resorts down below, but didn't elaborate on it any further.

"So, where to now?" Taki asked.

"This is a planet; there could be a million places she could be." Ko said.

"The coordinates say that we're heading to a place called…Vida Island; to a large mansion on a hill." Kurai informed them, as the ship entered the atmosphere and began to head to the island.

"Mansion on an island…kind of a cliché, isn't it?" Taki commented.

"Cliché or no; we're going." Ko replied.

The three friends stood and watched as they were taken to the lair-there was no other word for it-of their enemy.

At last they arrived on the island, and the ship brought itself to an easy landing on a beach of pink sand. There were thick green jungles all around, and a paved path that most likely led up to the mansion. Kurai hated to admit it, but this place was a truly beautiful one. After a final check of their armor and weapons, the small group descended the landing ramp, where Kurai locked the door securely to keep intruders out.

"Come on." she said, and the three began jogging up the path toward the manor. Though everything had been going as expected, Kurai had a deep sense of foreboding. Something was going to go very wrong by day's end…she could feel it. the feeling only got worse the closer they got to the house, finally turning into a resounding scream that felt like it was coming from Kurai's very soul when they got to the front steps.

The mansion was a huge one; with many turrets and balconies, and windows everywhere. The front steps were of white stone, as well as a huge porch over the big double doors. The place was made of a local brown rock, and the roof was paved with shingles of a similar color. Vines climbed up the sides of the dwelling, and it looked as though the place hadn't been occupied in quiet awhile. They noticed that there were no noises to be heard coming from the surrounding jungle, creating a very eerie atmosphere. They could feel that they were being watched, and it made the hairs on the back of the humans' necks stand up, and the small, spiky "hairs" that Ko had on his head.

"Why, hello, Kurai Blackwood!" a familiar voice made them all jump and look around.

"We're here, now you can leave my grandpa alone!" Kurai yelled back. Their suspicions of surveillance were confirmed when a small camera descended from the ceiling of the porch, complete with the speaker that was magnifying Stone's voice. She was likely safe and sound…somewhere within the mansion.

"Very well; a promise is a promise. Besides; your grandparents don't really interest me in the least. You're the one I need." she said.

"What does that mean?" Kurai retorted.

"You'll find out soon enough, but you must have patience. Until then, won't you come in?" she said sweetly. A second later, the doors opened, leading into a once-fashionable parlor.

"What now?" Taki asked.

"We go in." Kurai said, and stepped over the threshold, with her friends behind them. As soon as they were all inside, the doors closed with an ominous boom.

"Now, we can have some fun." Stone's voice purred.


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Here's the showdown, but I honestly thought that last chapter would get more reviews!**

**Chapter 31**

The first thing they saw was complete darkness, though whether it was from the sudden transition from sunlit island to dark house, or Stone cutting the lights, they did not know. The three of them stood back-to-back in the dark, none of them wanting to risk getting separated from the others.

"What now, Stone?" Kurai called out, wanting an end to the tension, if nothing else.

"Now I play with you awhile. You're welcome to try and find me." Stone said, over the loudspeaker. The lights became brighter, revealing what appeared to be a disused front room. There was a couch and chairs, but these were covered by dusty sheets, and bookshelves and assorted other accoutrements scattered around, but they also looked as though they hadn't seen a duster in years. There were a few doors leading out of the main room, giving Kurai an impression of the size of the house.

"However, it would be very rude of me as a hostess not to leave you with some "entertainment" while you wander around my home. I believe that you will find that the men I have under my employ will be sufficient to keep you amused while you attempt to locate me."

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" Kurai yelled.

"We'll cross that bridge if and when you find me. Until then…" Stone taunted, then there was a click, indicating that the conversation was over.

As soon as she did so, a swarm of armed men in black military-style uniforms and helmets swarmed the room. Kurai, Ko and Taki immediately jumped into action.

"Kurai, we can kill these, yes?" Ko asked, fending off one of the soldiers.

"Absolutely. If they get in your way, take them out. Stone's the one we're after.

Immediately, Ko and Taki began viciously swinging their weapons, taking out as many of the men as they could. Kurai brought one of her fans down onto one man, fatally wounding him in the neck. The human marveled at how easy it seemed to kill a human, now that she'd faced Yautja and Xenomorphs.

At last, with their armor and weapons covered in warm blood, the three turned their attention to the doors leading out of the room.

"We've got to split up, don't we?" Ko asked, sounding less than enthusiastic about the idea. Kurai nodded, sharing his sentiments about the situation.

"Of course…" the Yautja said flatly.

"Well, at least one of us will find her… We can't search the place together; it'll take forever." Taki reasoned.

"Then let's get to it. I want to see that bitch die!" Kurai snarled. They each took a door, and headed their separate ways.

Kurai ran down the hallway, pacing herself so that she didn't become too tired too quickly. The halls were made of up of faded green carpets with dingy gold patterns, and paintings on the brownish-grey walls that were so faded that the woman couldn't make out what was represented in them. The light came from old electric lamps on the ceiling, which flickered every now and then…the ones that still worked.

Every now and then, one or two of Stone's lackeys would rush down the hall at her or, occasionally, try to take her from behind. Kurai dispatched these easily, finding it a bit strange that, though they had stun guns, cudgels, and knives, she'd yet to see a single gun in the house. Apparently, her "hostess" didn't want her to be killed off by one of her men in that way.

"You're doing quite well. So is that strange creature you brought with you." Stone said, by way of false compliment. She sounded confident, leading Kurai to think that she wasn't close to her enemy's location just yet.

"What is he, by the way? I might want to take him in as a specimen."

The comment caught Kurai off guard, just as another three soldiers rushed down the hall toward her. She quickly drew her fans and took care of the men, before resuming her mission.

"You've been living with that creature, and likely others like him for the past few months, haven't you?" Stone asked.

"What of it?" Kurai growled.

"Oh, I just thought that it was a bit odd that I couldn't track your ship. You see, I have access to some very high-tech equipment; military-grade stuff that can detect a fly landing on a leaf across the planet. There are no ships-not even those of the Yamamoto family-that can easily evade such devices. If your ship managed to get by my scanners it could only mean that you were either very skilled in mechanics and computers or that your ship was not one of human design." she said offhandedly.

"Your point being?"

"Only that the technology of those creatures is most interesting. Imagine the possibilities if humans got hold of such things! The person could dominate the military world with ships that couldn't be detected…"

"And that person would be you?" Kurai guessed.

"Perhaps. Not only that, the biology of your friend seems fascinating… I'd like to study him at some point in the future…but you're the main interest at the moment, Kurai."

"And," Kurai said, taking out another opponent, "what makes me so interesting to you, anyway?"

"The fact that you somehow managed to form some sort of symbiotic relationship with the Xenomorphs, among other things. How do you manage to be around the creatures without getting torn to pieces? If such a thing could be accomplished by an army, they could destroy their enemies with ease. Have you ever thought of that?"

"I won't use the people I care about to fulfill my own ambitions!" Kurai snapped.

"And why not? It would be so easy to just bring the hive here and have them storm the mansion… It's what I'd do, if I were you."

"Because," the other woman said, her eyes focused on the path ahead, "I won't need anyone's help when it comes time to kill you."

"Good. I want our battle to be one-on-one anyway. You'll have the advantage of years of martial arts training; I'll have…a special surprise…but that's a while off. Let's focus on today, shall we? I want to talk to you in person; woman to woman. I'll even give you my location; how does that sound?"

"Peachy." Kurai muttered.

"All right then. You should know that I'm in the library. It's up the stairs at the end of this hallway. I'll be looking forward to seeing you there, but for now, I'm going to concentrate on your companions. They seem to be struggling a bit…" she ended the conversation, leaving Kurai to her thoughts.

"I've got to get up there…" the woman thought, and hurried on, hoping that Stone was lying about Taki and Ko.

"My, you're a strong beast, aren't you?"

Ko was interrupted as he was tearing apart one of the men that served his mate's enemy. Looking around, he surmised that he was being watched by hidden cameras and microphones.

"You seem to understand me…interesting. When this is over, I believe I'll focus my attention on you." the Ooman female said, making Ko feel uneasy. He let out a loud growl at his hidden enemy.

"I suspect from that that you can't speak English…yet you can understand me. Once again, you're an interesting creature. I hope you won't be too disappointed when I dispose of your…what is she to your? Friend, rival, mate?"

Ko let out another loud snarl at the woman.

"It seems I struck a nerve with you… I could keep it up, but to be honest, you bore me. You're so…base. You're completely predictable in your behaviors. I'm done with you for the moment." the hallway then became silent.

"_That was…strange."_ Ko thought to himself, but didn't have time to muse on it, as more Oomans came out of rooms on either side of the hallway to confront him.

"Here it is!" Kurai said to herself, upon reaching the upper portion of the house.

"Well done, Kurai. You've managed to make it this far, as well as kill a fair few of my men. Congratulations." Stone said.

"So what now? What did you want me here for?"

"Come into the library and we can…talk in person." she said.

Seeing that she had no choice, Kurai turned the knob on the door and entered the room. It looked like most private libraries; old wooden shelves full of even older books. Two large, arched windows let in some light, but were blocked by heavy-looking brown drapes. Dust could be seen swirling in the feeble sunbeams, and the whole place had the combined smells of dust and mold.

"Over here!"

The woman turned to see an old mahogany desk situated in one corner. Behind it was a high-backed black leather chair that had its back turned to her. Clutching her fans, Kurai carefully approached the desk.

"There's really no need for weapons…" Stone said, making Kurai let out a little "hmph" as she drew closer. Reaching out carefully, she grabbed the back of the chair and spun it around, thinking that she would come face-to-face with her enemy…

"Got you, didn't I?"

Kurai nearly screamed in fury as the chair was revealed to be empty.

"What are you playing at?" she yelled.

"Look on the desk in front of you."

She did so, and saw a slim computer rise from its hidden compartment in the desk. It was black for a moment, but soon came to life, showing what appeared to be live feed of Irene Stone. She was grinning in an unpleasant way as she looked back at Kurai. She was wearing a white lab coat over a black sweater, and had her blonde hair up in a bun. Behind her, it looked as though the walls were made of metal, but Kurai couldn't think of anywhere like that that might be in the house…

"What now?" she asked the computer, folding her arms. She was tired, covered in blood, and getting very annoyed with the way the woman was leading her around in circles.

"Now I can mess with you a little before I leave." Stone said.

"You know, I don't think you'd be quite so arrogant if you actually had the 'nads to show your face to me in public. Every time we meet, you're either hiding behind someone or far away. Are you scared of me, bitch?" Kurai grinned. This seemed to knock the smile off her face somewhat.

"Scared? No… You should know the reason why I don't dirty my hands, Kurai; your family has been doing it for centuries. Why bother endangering my life, when I can send others in while I watch the entertainment from a safe distance? Your family's Shadows are just a way for you to avoid battles, after all; they have been for centuries."

"Maybe you're right about that; but at least we can defend ourselves. By the way I've seen you act, I doubt you've any experience in combat at all. You just sit back and let others fight for you. You're just some pathetic psycho who likes to fuck with people. Good thing Makoto killed your brother; no one needs two of you freaks in the world." that set her off.

"SHUT UP! Do you have any idea what kind of position you're in? Do you have any notion of the many, many ways I can hurt you? Your friends, your family, the Xenomorph hive… I can eliminate every single one of them if I wish it!" she hissed.

"And yet you'll never confront me directly. You're just a fucking coward, like your brother. He wasn't afraid to mess with Shisome when she was small; but I'll bet my family's fortune that he got pretty damn scared at the end…" she said, finding a slight sadistic pleasure in this.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT! Believe me, when the time comes, you will _beg_ me to let you die! My brother was too valuable to lose; and you will pay for it! I've got something planned that you will never expect, Kurai Blackwood!" the blonde screamed, sounding more demented by the minute.

"And what is that?"

"You'll see…as soon as you come to my laboratory."

"And what makes you think I'd do that?"

"Because I'm going to have something you'll want…something you'll give anything to get back."

"Kurai has been here." Ko said to himself, examining the wounds on the corpse at his feet.

He had thrown one of the soldiers through a wall, which led him to another hallway. On the ground were bloody footprints far too small to have been made by his mate. Thinking that she might need some backup, he decided to follow them. No one jumped into his path this time; indicating that Kurai had already disposed of all the enemies in this area. Ko found it a relief; he was tired, and the smell of blood was beginning to drive him a bit crazy. There were a few hastily-prepared skulls slung across his back, and, if he had his way, he would use them to-hopefully-persuade Kurai into another intimate encounter. Shaking off the thoughts, he continued his jog, wondering why he always seemed to think of such things at inappropriate times.

He hadn't been in this hallway long before he came to a staircase leading up. Seeing that there were still some footprints on the faded floor coverings, he began to ascend the creaking steps to find Kurai.

Once on the next floor, he looked around and checked his wrist computer. The device said that Kurai was not dead, and that she was stationary in the nearest room on the floor. Taki was not visible; but then again, he could be out of range. Opening the door, he followed the sound of talking over to where Kurai was standing in front of a computerized image of the woman-Stone-whom they were tracking.

"Ah, your otherworldly friend is here! Good; you can both hear this together. I was just telling Kurai here that you two will be at my laboratory as guests soon."

Ko let out a series of clicks that Kurai understood to be curses.

"The three of us aren't going anywhere!" the black-haired woman asserted.

"Oh, yes you are; just…not together."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

They were interrupted by someone-one of Stone's men-making an announcement off-screen.

"Ma'am, we've got him. He took out nine of our men before we got him, but he's ours now."

"Good; put him in one of the holding cells for now." his employer said, then smiled as she turned back to Kurai and Ko.

"Have you noticed that your friend hasn't arrived yet? All of the corridors lead to this library, one way or the other, you know." she said. Kurai contemplated it for a moment, the color draining from her face.

"He was a fairly good match for my men; but they overtook him eventually."

"You're lying!" Kurai screamed, and Ko roared in fury.

"Oh?" Stone said quietly, then showed them what looked like security footage.

In the footage, Taki was running down the hall, occasionally taking out a guard or two. Soon, however, they came in a large group. The human man was eventually surrounded and, though he did use his shurikens and combi-stick to impale more than one, he was eventually shown disappearing in a sea of black uniforms. Kurai looked on in horror as her enemy turned off the footage.

"The idea was to separate you all along. Either the human or that creature; whichever came first. I suppose I should have just concentrated on…Taki, was it? I knew that you'd come after whichever one of the two I captured."

"Is...is he…?" Kurai asked, her voice suddenly sounding small.

"Dead? Oh, no! You wouldn't come to me after some lifeless corpse! Here, I'll show you…" she pressed a button off-screen, and an image came up of…

"TAKI!" Kurai screamed.

Her friend was lying, apparently unconscious, propped up against what looked like a metal wall. His mask had been removed, and he had a small trickle of blood coming from his mouth, as well as seeping from under his hair.

"Yes, Taki. He's unconscious, but I can make that permanent, if you want." Stone taunted again.

"You fucking psycho! I'm definitely going to kill you now, you God damned cu-" Kurai began, through clenched teeth. Ko roared in fury as he saw his friend in such condition.

"Ma'am, the ship's ready, shall we leave?" someone said to Stone.

"Yes, take us back to the laboratory, and prepare for our guests." the older woman sneered, looking at Kurai.

"I believe you'll accept my invitation now, won't you, Kurai?"

"Taking off, Ma'am." the man said again. The sound of a ship's engine could be heard outside, and Kurai and Ko both prepared to run to stop it.

"Come on, Ko; let's get out there!" she said, turning to the Yautja.

"You'll stay where you are, or I'll kill Mr. Taki Mura." Stone said, sounding deadly serious.

"You lie!"

"The only thing that I can do is fight from afar, remember? If you go outside before my ship takes off, I'll kill him, if you give chase before I give the word, I'll kill him. If you try to get your grandfather to intercept us, I'll kill him, if you don't arrive at my laboratory at the date I'll be sending you, I'll kill him. If you do anything to upset me, I'll kill your friend and send him home to you in pieces, do you understand?"

"Where do you want us to meet?" Kurai snarled, looking helplessly at her friend, who was now surrounded by guards wielding machine guns.

"I'll send you the coordinates in a day. Until then, you are not to leave the planet or have any contact with your family. After I give you the coordinates and date, you will follow them exactly. If you arrive one day too early or late, your friend dies. Is this clear? Answer me!"

"It's clear." Kurai answered.

"Very good. Now, take us out of here!" Stone called to her pilot. The computer screen went blank.

From outside, the sound of a ship taking off was deafening. Kurai an Ko covered their ears to escape the painful noise. As soon as she was sure it was safe, Kurai rushed down the stairs and through the corpse-strewn hallways, with Ko close behind. Rushing through the front doors, she burst onto the porch and sprinted down the path to the beach.

The ship-a grey number with a sleek-looking body-was just taking of into the air. The wind, whipped up by the engines, caused wave after wave of pink sand to fly at the two companions. Kurai was glad that she still had her mask on, as well as Ko.

"TAKI!" Kurai screamed, the sound being drowned out by the noise. With tears in her eyes, she watched in desperation as Stone's ship took off, with her best friend a prisoner somewhere within…


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 32**

"TAKI! TAKI!" Kurai screamed again and again, watching as the ship grew smaller and smaller in the distance.

"We have to go after him, Ko!" the human cried, rushing to her ship and opening the doors.

"Wait! Remember what she said! If you chase after her now, she'll kill Taki without hesitation!" Ko reminded, grabbing his mate by the arm before she could enter the vehicle.

"But she'll kill him if we don't track her down!" Kurai protested, the tears still falling.

"She'll kill him for certain if we disobey her orders! We have to follow her instructions if we have any hope of seeing him alive again!"

"But…" Kurai sniffed, sounding helpless for the first time since Ko had known her.

"She said that she would contact us with instructions and coordinates to her location. If we have any hope of rescuing Taki, we have to go along with her plan." the Yautja said, gently leading Kurai up the ramp and into one of the seats in the cockpit.

"By the time she contacts us, she could have already…" the human began, but the thought was too terrible to imagine.

"Listen to me, Kurai! I hate this as much as you do! Taki is my friend as well, and what Stone did is cruel and dishonorable; but the fact is, she's got us cornered at the moment. I would love to go after her, too, but ask yourself this; is there any doubt in your mind that she wouldn't kill Taki if she suspected that you were trying anything? Because I certainly don't!"

"So what do we do?"

"We have to wait…but that doesn't mean we that we can't figure out our next move in the meantime. She's been ahead of us up until now; but we're going to be the ones with the plans the next time!" Ko growled.

"And…if she… If she…" Kurai said, trying to hold off the thoughts that kept forcing their way into her mind.

"Then she will regret the day that she ever heard our names." he replied darkly, as Kurai wiped her eyes.

"Well then," she said, "what's the plan then?"

"We have to think of something that she wouldn't likely suspect. Something that would completely catch her off guard and send her whole scheme into turmoil…"

"We could…have the Shadows descend on her laboratory en masse; that would put a kink in her plans…" Kurai snarled, a savage pleasure in the thought.

"She said not to get your family involved in this, remember?"

"Then…what? It's going to be you and I against-let's face it-an army of her guys."

"Then we'll need something that can eliminate large numbers of enemies… It's too bad that we can't involve the clan; they've got weapons that can destroy a dozen kiande amedha in a single shot…" Ko muttered.

"Hey, speaking of the clan… What about Kantra and Ne'Renh?"

"What about them?" Ko asked, but sounded as though he knew what she was thinking.

"We could bring them with us! I don't know about Elder Yeyinde, but I'm pretty sure those two could help us." Kurai suggested.

"I don't think so; we need to keep this as quiet as possible. We don't need anyone from the clan asking questions about this whole affair." Ko replied, shaking his head.

"So we can't go to my family, and we can't go to the clan… I guess we're on our own here…" Kurai said.

"Looks that way." the Yautja replied, sinking down into a chair next to the human.

"So we wait until she calls…"

"Looks that way."

"Ko, we're fucked."

"Looks that way." Ko said, and the two sat back to wait for Stone to send them a message.

The next day…

"Why doesn't she call?" Kurai said, pacing back and forth across the floor of the ship.

They had spent the rest of the previous day practicing their fighting techniques, unsure of what else to do. Kurai had felt horrible about doing so when she was sure Taki was being abused in some way or the other, but couldn't sit still any longer. She and Ko had barely talked, other than the occasional muttering about how one or the other could improve this or that move. They hadn't eaten anything that night, and had slept fitfully in the cockpit chairs.

"She will; she wants us to come to her, remember?" Ko replied, popping the kinks in his back.

"If she's hurt him, Ko…" Kurai began.

"I don't think that she'll do anything to him; if he dies, she's got no leverage over us." he reminded.

"He's been my best friend since we were five years old…" the human said quietly.

_Sixteen years ago…_

"_So, what's your name?"_

_Five-year-old Kurai Blackwood had been gently set into a playroom with another child about her age. He was a little taller than her, but thinner as well, with light brown hair and large dark eyes that were currently pouring out tears._

_Kurai's mother Yanagi had told her daughter that morning that they were going to meet a friend of hers that she hadn't seen since she'd moved to Japan a few years ago. She'd said that her friend and her husband had moved back to America and their child would make a wonderful friend for the girl._

_So here they were; staring curiously at one another while their mothers (their fathers were both at work) adjourned to the parlor to have tea and reminisce and gossip about current events._

"_What's your name?" Kurai had asked when she became bored with listening to the women's conversation through the door. The little boy was sitting on the floor in the corner, with his knees drawn up to his chest through his green kimono and his head in his small hands._

"_Taki Mura." the boy replied simply, and went back to pouting._

"_Taki? Waterfall? Is that because you cry so much?" the little girl had asked, holding up her lavender kimono and going over to the boy._

"_You'd cry, too, if your mommy and daddy had moved you a long way away from your house! And I'm not crying!" he'd replied, wiping his face on his sleeve._

"_Yes you are! But it's okay; and I wouldn't cry if I moved." Kurai had said._

"_Yes you would! It's really scary and you'd cry easier than me 'cause you're a girl!"_

"_So what if I'm a girl? I wouldn't cry like one, like you!"_

"_Girls cry a lot; it's just how it is. Boys are brave! We fight and stuff! Like samurai; none of them were ever girls, and they were the bravest ever!"_

"_There were girl fighters; my grandpa said!"_

"_Girls can't fight!" the boy had asserted._

"_Can so! I'm taking karate!" Kurai had said hotly._

"_Nuh-uh!"_

"_Uh-huh! I started last week!"_

"_Did not!"_

"_Did so!"_

"_Did not!"_

"_Did so!"_

"_Did not!"_

"_Did so!" they were both standing nose-to-nose now._

"_Then prove it!" Taki had challenged, crossing his arms._

"_I can't; but not because I don't want to!" Kurai had responded._

"_Why not then?"_

"'_Cause Sensei said that you're not supposed to go around showing off what you learned, that's why!"_

"_You're making that up! You probably don't know any more karate than I do! You're just a girl trying to be tough!" Taki had accused, before turning his back on her and sticking his nose in the air in triumph._

"_Hey, Taki…" Kurai had said quietly, beginning to roll up one sleeve of her kimono._

"_What?" he'd replied, turning around..._

…_to meet a punch thrown by the girl._

_They had been best friends ever since that day._

_The Present…_

"Kurai!"

Ko's voice shook the woman out of her thoughts, which were making a lump come to her throat.

"Huh?"

"We've got a message…" the hunter said in a grave tone.

Quickly, Kurai went to the data pad on the control panel and opened the communication.

"Good morning, Kurai!" Irene Stone smiled.


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 33**

"Oh? No greetings back? Very rude…and after I've kept your friend in a five-star cell last night; it has a bed and everything…" Stone grinned, upon seeing the death glare coming from the other woman.

"I want to see him." Kurai said.

"Why? Don't you trust me?"

"Not for an instant; now let me see him!"

"Very well…and I'm going to trust that you didn't contact your family yesterday; because if there are any Shadows with you when you arrive…your friend will pay for your mistake."

"I didn't contact them; now let me see Taki!" Kurai snarled.

Stone apparently typed something on an unseen keyboard, and an image of Taki came onto the screen. He had been stripped of his armor, and was sitting against the wall of what Kurai soon recognized to be a sort of prison cell. Though he did look somewhat the worse for wear, he was at least conscious; looking around and muttering to himself.

"Taki!" Kurai called.

"Kurai?" the man inquired, looking around the room.

"Taki, are you all right?"

"Y-yeah, they roughed me up, but I'm okay…"

"Don't worry; we're coming to get you!" Kurai assured, a moment before the screen went back to Irene Stone.

"So you see? He's alive; and will continue to be so unless you fail to follow my directions. Speaking of which…"

A second later, Kurai's data pad showed that she'd received a new message, this one a list of coordinates.

"These are the coordinates of my laboratory. You will follow them EXACTLY and meet me at the indicated time and place. I believe that I made it clear earlier that you may not show up too early or late… If you do what I tell you, you will see your friend returned to you alive and in one piece."

"Why should I trust you? How do I know that you're not just going to kill us all?" Kurai asked.

"Because, you are the only one I really want, Kurai Blackwood. Your actions led to the death of my brother, you cost me a lot of time, energy, and money. Truth be told, I don't give a damn about your friends; they can go to hell for all I care."

"So, you're just going to kill me and let them go?" Kurai scoffed.

"At first I was; but actually I've had some time to think about it and–"

She was interrupted by someone speaking from off-screen.

"Ma'am, the specimens are growing normally, should we move them to the new chambers?"

"yes, go ahead; and don't interrupt me again, fool!" she snapped back, and turned her attention back to Kurai.

"Well now; I almost ruined the surprise, didn't I? Remember; stick to the directions or your friend dies!" she said, and the screen went black.

"Are you buying that?" Kurai asked, turning to Ko.

"What?" the hunter replied.

"That she'd just going to let you go after she gets done with me."

"I highly doubt it."

"Exactly! There's no way that she'd leave the two of you alive; not when you could come back looking for revenge!"

"She said something about wanting you alive…" Ko reminded.

"Yeah, probably to torture me or something… At least we have the coordinates now; we can go find her crazy ass and take her down." the human replied, imputing the coordinates that she'd received and starting the ship.

The ship took off from the planet's surface with enough force and heat to render the surrounding san into fine pink glass. Kurai authorized the craft to fly at top speed, something she'd never done before. It was surprisingly easy to pilot the vehicle like this, and the onboard computers gave her the occasional tip on controlling the vessel.

"Where are we going, exactly?" Ko asked, after about an hour of flying.

"The computer says it's an unnamed moon above an old mining planet." Kurai replied.

"A moon? What is the name of the planet?"

"Let's see… The name of the planet is **Mondiale 745. The computer says that the humans terraformed it to use for mining about a hundred years ago, but it's been depleted of its resources since then. Hm, the moon was terraformed, too, but was never used because of the cost of creating a colony there was too much." the human read the information from the Yautja's hunting data banks.**

"How long will it take us to get there?" Ko asked.

"By the ship's calculations, it should take us almost three weeks. We need to go back by the clan's ship so I can get my armor repaired."

"We'll have to hurry; and Ne'Renh hates to be rushed." Ko cautioned.

"I know…but we'll need every advantage we can get if we've got a hope of rescuing Taki. I don't like the idea, but do you think that we can get a couple of guns from the ship's armory?"

"Your kills won't be nearly as honorable…" the Yautja warned.

"No offense, but honor is the last thing on my mind right now. If it'll help rescue my best friend, I'll borrow a cannon if I have to."

"One of ours could take out quite a few individuals…and she's already proven to have an army."

"An army… Too bad I can't go back to Earth…I've got an army, too…" Kurai said quietly.

"We can't let on to the clan what we're borrowing their weapons for. We can't even tell Kantra or Ne'Renh or our friends on Pluvia might be dragged into the equation."

"The last thing we'd need would be for them to find out about our…friends…on… Ko! That's it!" Kurai said, putting the ship on auto and jumping up to go stand excitedly in front of the male.

"What? What are you going to do?" he asked, as the human rushed back over to the controls and began to type coordinates into the computer.

"We're going to take another slight detour!"

"To where?"

"To Pluvia…to get some help." Kurai replied, and the ship took off in the indicated direction.


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!**

**Chapter 34**

"Kiande amedha, are you mad?" Ko asked, as they sped through space.

"No, I'm desperate! We can't take her entire organization down alone; we need help, Ko!" Kurai said, her crimson eyes staying focused ahead.

"But will Shisome even help us?" the Yautja asked.

"I hope so; they've got issues with her too. Stone's got an army, and we need something to counter that; what better than a bunch of pissed-off Xenomorphs?"

"We can't possibly fit the whole hive in this ship!"

"No; all we need is about four or five people and we should be good. There's no way in Hell she'll be expecting something like that."

"All right, I see the advantage; but shouldn't we be going to get your armor repaired first?"

"We're already on course, and the clan ship's clear in the other direction." Kurai replied.

"So then, you are willing to take a shipload of kiande amedha onto a fully-functioning Yautja ship? You must be out of your mind, Ooman!"

"Once again; not crazy, just desperate. We have no choice here." the human said, and the two went silent for awhile.

"How long until we get to Pluvia?" Ko asked, in a defeated tone.

"At this speed, we should be there tomorrow morning."

Ko sighed and sat back in his seat, wishing that his mate would think more logically.

The next morning…

After another bad night's sleep, Kurai and Ko were watching the planet of Pluvia growing closer and closer in the distance. They had spent the remainder of the previous day talking about what they were going to say to Shisome. It was obvious that they couldn't just go into the hive and demand her help; they would have to convince her that it would be good to send away a few of her subordinates. Kurai dearly hoped her friend would be understanding…

"Approaching planet, please fasten restraining belts for atmospheric entry." the computer said, and the two hurried to their seats to do so.

The atmosphere of Pluvia practically flew by at the speed they were going, and Kurai had more than one thought of them crashing into the ground; but the craft steadied itself and landed with a gentle bump about half a mile away from the hive. It was not ideal ground for landing; but time was a factor at the moment, and they had no choice.

"Come on, Ko!" Kurai said, rushing to the door and opening it as soon as the ship had deactivated.

The hunter followed behind her, grumbling about the insanity of the situation and putting on his mask before descending the ramp.

Kurai got into a quick jog, with Ko following suit, and _the two took off for the cave._

_As she ran, Kurai's mind again turned to thoughts of her best friend…_

_Fifteen years ago…_

"_I'm sorry about your mom, Kurai."_

_A six-year-0ld Kurai sat quietly on her back porch, staring at nothing in particular, her long black hair getting into her eyes without her really noticing. She was wearing a black kimono, and had a yellow chrysanthemum in her hand._

"_Huh?" the little girl had said, looking up._

"_I said I'm sorry about your mom; she was nice." the boy repeated, taking a seat beside her._

"_Thanks…"_

"_What happened?"_

"_She was sick for a long time…then she died." Kurai had said simply, and Taki had let it drop._

"_Where's your dad?" he asked, after a few minutes._

"_He's talking to my grandma and grandpa and putting food in the kitchen; there's a lot of it that people brought over. What are you doing here?"_

"_My mommy and daddy brought me over. They said that we needed to show our sy…sympathy…over what happened."_

"_Everybody's doing that."_

"_But I feel really bad; I liked your mommy." Taki said, then noticed Kurai crying._

"_It's not fair! It's just not fair!" she said, hugging her friend._

"_It's okay…" Taki comforted, then seemed to remember something._

"_Hey, I got this for you." he said, reaching into his pocket and producing a yard-long black satin ribbon._

"_It's probably not going to make you happy now, but I thought you'd like it." he said, holding it out to her._

_Kurai had looked at it, then at her friend, then hugged him again._

"_Thanks, Taki." she'd said quietly, before accepting his gift and tying it loosely around her neck._

"_It's to tie your hair back…because of the time you got it stuck in the door…" he said._

"_You gave it to me; I'll wear it the way I want!" Kurai had replied, nudging him gently._

"_I guess so. Just don't lose it; I bought it with money I got from picking up leaves in Masu-san's yard, and she's really tight with her money! My mommy said that she and your mommy used to give each other stuff like this all the time when they were little; Mommy's got a whole boxful of stuff." the boy had warned._

"_I promise! I'm going to wear it from now on; because our moms were friends and we are!" Kurai had said, and hugged her friend again._

_The present…_

Kurai touched her ribbon thoughtfully, and put on more speed through the jungle, with Ko catching up after a moment.

"Come on, let's move!" the human said, and put on another burst of speed. The two raced over the terrain, hoping that their journey to Pluvia would prove fruitful.

"There's the hive!" Kurai pointed out, and they sprinted toward the cave at top speed.

At last, they stood in front of the hive, panting from their run. In no time, three Xenomorphs came out to greet them. Kurai recognized the Runner known as Feather and went to speak with him.

"_**You're back sooner than expected. Our Queen is waiting for you within."**_ he said.

"How did she know we were coming?" Ko asked.

"_**We have sentries on the tops of the cliffs; they spotted your ship and told the rest of the hive. Once it was confirmed that it was your scent on the wind, everyone has been eager to see you again."**_ the Runner explained, as he led them through the tunnels.

They arrived at the Queen's chamber, and Feather excused himself to attend to something in another part of the hive. Kurai and Ko stepped through the entrance to the chamber, and came face-to-face with Shisome.

"_**I'm glad to see you, Kurai; but why are you back so soon? And where is Taki?"**_ she asked, nuzzling the human affectionately.

"I'm glad to see you, too, Shisome; but Taki's the reason why we're here. Could you call everyone together? I've got some really bad news." Kurai said.

"_**Of course…"**_ Shisome said, and telepathically summoned her hive to her. In a moment, everyone in the vicinity was in the chamber, talking in hisses, squeaks, and growls. There were Xenomorphs on every single inch of space on the floor and walls, and on every ledge in the room. Kurai saw Makoto emerge from the tunnels with Adelicia at his side, and Aiyoku, Momo, Jim, and Lee. They all gathered around Kurai, Ko and their Queen.

"What's going on, Miss Kurai? Where's Taki?" Momo asked, with Jim close behind.

"That's what this is about, actually." the other woman said, and turned to Shisome.

"I need to get somewhere higher so everyone can hear me; would you put me on that ledge up there?" she asked.

"_**Oh, yes."**_ Shisome replied, and gently lifted the human to stand on said ledge, where she turned to face the crowd.

"You may all be wondering why I'm here; well, it's not a happy occasion, I can tell you. The thing of it is… Irene Stone…captured Taki the other day." Kurai said, and waited for the response.

"_**What?"**_ Shisome cried, her tail swishing in shock, nearly sending Adelicia flying, for which she apologized profusely.

"What do you mean, she captured him?" Momo demanded.

"We went after Stone and she kidnapped him. She's threatening to kill him if I don't come to her laboratory." Kurai explained, giving them the short version of it.

"We're here because we're planning to storm her lab and take her out once and for all…but we need help. Stone said that she'll kill Taki if I got my family involved, and we can't go to Ko's clan. Believe me, I don't like to ask anyone for favors; but I need your help." she said.

"_**You've got it, Kurai! Right, everyone?"**_ Shisome said, and there were shrieks and hisses of agreement from the Xenomorphs, and cries from the three humans.

"_**What do you need?"**_ the Queen asked, after the noise had died down.

"I need at least three of you to come with Ko and me to Stone's lab. She won't be expecting you, so she might not have time to prepare a proper defense." the human explained.

"_**Done; just choose who you need and they'll be ready as soon as you are."**_

"Well, I'd like volunteers…" Kurai said, looking around the room; she didn't have to look long.

"_**I'll go. She attacked my Queen…I must return the favor."**_ Makoto said, stepping forward.

"Not without me, you're not!" Adelicia said, moving to stand beside her mate.

"_**No. You're staying here where you will be safe."**_ the Praetorian said firmly.

"Makoto; I've been training for ages, I'm going!" the human asserted.

"_**No, Addie."**_

"Makoto! I'm going and that's final!"

"_**V-very well…"**_ he said, lowering his head and tail in defeat.

"That's two…" Kurai said, slightly amused by the argument.

"_**And I'll go; that human attacked my Queen and Adelicia… I cannot allow her to live."**_ Lee said.

"Then I'll come with you." Jim offered.

"_**No, you're needed here. This hive needs your skills in case something else goes wrong."**_ the Drone said gently.

"But you…" the human began, looking at the female.

"_**Will be fine."**_ Lee finished, putting her hands on her shoulders.

"Be careful, then…" he replied, rubbing her head.

"_**This place is too tranquil; revenge is something new. I'll go along with you, my elusive Kurai."**_ Aiyoku purred.

"Thanks… I think that's as many as the ship can carry…we'll have to get extra food as it is." Kurai said.

"_**When do we leave?"**_ Makoto asked.

"Today; we've got a month to get there, and we've got to go to the Silver Crescent's ship to get more food and my armor repaired. That should give us just enough time to get to Stone's location." Kurai explained.

"Then I'd better go pack right now!" Adelicia said, and hurried away to her room.

"We're sorry to put you in such a position, Shisome…" the human said, turning to the Queen.

"_**It's the very least I can do after all you've done for us."**_ she replied.

"Will Makoto and the others be all right being so far away from you?" Ko asked.

"_**As long as we know that she's alive and safe, we should be all right for awhile."**_ Makoto said.

"Good to know; we don't need you going crazy or trying to make a new Queen or anything…" Kurai said, half-seriously.

"I agree, on both counts." Ko muttered.

"I'm ready!" Adelicia said, rushing back into the room. She was carrying a large bag made of some animal skin, which was bulging with her belongings.

"Then we'd better get going. Thanks so much for your help, Shisome." the human woman said.

"_**Once again, it's the least we can do. Please, be safe, Kurai; and bring Taki back safe as well."**_ the Xenomorph said, reaching down and touching the human's head fondly.

"Thanks. We'll be back as soon as this is done. We're going to make it final this time; no more of this chasing her around or waiting for her to make a move. She's going to die for what she's done."

"_**You're quite attractive when you're making death threats."**_ Aiyoku said, and Ko growled at the hybrid.

"Come on; let's get back to the ship. We've still got to go to the clan ship, and I'm not looking forward to that." Kurai replied.

Together, the six of them began hurrying out of the hive and toward the ship.


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Please read and ****REVIEW!**

**Chapter 35**

"_**You said that we'd be there when?"**_ Makoto asked, as the ship took off.

"A month. Minus the time it'll take to get my armor repaired and get more food." Kurai replied.

"Why do we need more food? Your kitchen is full of things to eat." Adelicia pointed out, while stirring a bowl of some sort of batter.

"We need meat. You and I can live on bread if we have to, but I didn't really anticipate this situation. Sorry, it's just a lack of planning on my part." Kurai explained.

They had been flying for two days at top speed, and the meat supply was running low. Luckily, the Silver Crescent's ship had been piloted closer to their location in preparation for a chiva taking place on a nearby planet. The little group was due to arrive on the giant vessel that day, and were all more than a little nervous about the situation. If they were caught, there was no question that Makoto, Aiyoku and Lee would be killed, possibly Adelicia too, and Ko and Kurai would be in more trouble than they'd ever imagined.

"What are we going to say if they ask questions?" Ko asked.

"We'll tell them that we're taking an extended trip and we need more provisions for you. You eat a lot more meat than I do." the human said.

"_**If it helps, we can go for days without eating, if need be."**_ Lee offered.

"_**Yes; in times of starvation or inclement conditions we often will hibernate until things get better. We can even go for years at a time."**_ Makoto added.

"I hate to say it, but you might have to; I don't think we can even carry enough food for all of you." Kurai said, feeling bad for not realizing the situation before she'd even gone to Pluvia in the first place.

"_**Don't worry; I'm sure there will be…plenty…to eat when we arrive at our enemy's location."**_ Aiyoku said, with a very dark undertone.

"We're not going to…_kill_ anyone, are we?" Adelicia asked, still stirring in her bowl.

"Yeah." Kurai said simply, not turning around.

"But…surely there is another way? I mean, you can't be so stoic about this." the brunette said.

"We've got to take her out permanently, and her men. I'm hoping that this bunch will be as easy to dispose of as they were last time." Kurai explained.

"Others? You mean that you…?"

"Yeah. Me, Ko, and Taki. I counted at least thirty, how 'bout you, Ko?"

"Forty-six, by the time I stopped counting." the Yautja replied, looking up from something he was now reading on a data pad.

"_**I'll top that record."**_ Aiyoku muttered.

"_**My best is fifty-nine."**_ Makoto said, lying down on the cool floor.

"_**You lie! When?"**_ Aiyoku demanded.

"_**The day the humans invaded my previous home; the fools never even realized until it was too late that I had been using the tunnels in the hive. I swear, you creatures never think to look up until it's too late!"**_

"Fifty-nine? Just by using the tunnels?" Kurai asked.

"_**Most of them; I got the others outside."**_

"Good show." Ko muttered.

"_**I'll beat that one, too."**_ Aiyoku said.

"Stop this! How can you all be so callous about taking lives?" Adelicia cried.

"Are you forgetting that the bitch _shot_ you as a distraction?" Kurai reminded.

"Well, no…"

"_**And she kidnapped Taki."**_ Makoto said.

"_**She attacked our home…your home."**_ Lee added.

"_**She planned to use you as food or a host for a rival hive."**_ Makoto put in.

"And a lot of other stuff, and she's planning something now! Can you honestly say that she really deserves to live after all that?" Kurai asked.

"_**She'll never stop, Addie…she'll never leave us alone."**_ the Praetorian said gently.

"But killing someone…" Adelicia said quietly.

"_**There's no other choice."**_ Ko said, and Kurai translated.

"Couldn't we just put her and her men in prison or something?" the brunette asked.

"No. Firstly, we couldn't go to the authorities even if we wanted to; we can't tell them what's been going on the past few months. Secondly, if the Shadows couldn't find her, regular law enforcement or military sure as hell can't. Besides; there's not really anything they could charge her with. And even if we did find her and put her in jail, she'd probably either escape or reveal stuff about us. Don't forget that the USCM and scientists all over the world are always after Xenomorphs for research; and they wouldn't say no to Ko either." Kurai explained.

"_**And do you believe for one moment that she wouldn't kill you if she got another chance? Being kind is not going to save us any hardship."**_ Aiyoku said firmly.

"She'll kill Taki if we don't obey, Adelicia; he's just a bargaining chip for her, and you were just a distraction when she shot you. Makoto and Shisome were just research subjects for her brother, and I'm some sort of obsession, it seems. She used your crew as startup material for one of her experiments, she used one of her own people as a spy and killed her when she ceased to be of any use. Living things are tools to her; objects to further her own ends. She's insane and she has to be stopped." Kurai said.

"I…suppose…" the other woman said quietly.

"There's the clan ship up ahead!" Ko said, looking at the looming vessel.


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 35**

"It's enormous!" Adelicia exclaimed, looking out the ship's front window at the Silver Crescent Clan's mothership.

"That ship is the headquarters of the entire Silver Crescent Clan. Every Yautja in the clan is housed there at one time or another." Ko said, with an ominous tone in his voice.

"_**And we are the ones they seem to love hunting the most."**_ Makoto muttered, and the other two Xenomorphs made noises of agreement.

"Mothership to unidentified vessel: you are entering Silver Crescent Clan territory. State your business here." an electronic-sounding voice came over the ship's computer.

"This is Kurai; I'm a member of this clan and am here to restock my supplies." Kurai replied. She had never had to go through a security check before…

"Your name is in the records, but your ship is not registered." the computer informed her.

"So how do I register it?" she asked, getting annoyed at the hindrance to her quest.

"You must have at least one form of verification that the vessel belongs to you, and the approval of at least one ranking member of the clan."

"Verification?" the woman asked. There hadn't been any forms or anything when she'd received her ship, and she'd no idea as to how to get in touch with the Yautja who'd flown her ship to her.

"Yes. Were you given a disc upon your acquisition of this craft? If so, please insert it into the computer and send the information on it to the mothership. If you have no verification, this computer will assume that the ship is stolen and will detain you for questioning by the Arbitrators stationed nearby."

"Arbitrators? Did I hear that right? Who are they?" Adelicia asked, apparently trying to test her emerging Yautja language skills.

"They are like the police force of the Yautja species. They are the master hunters and their word is absolute; they act as judges, juries, and, more often than not, executioners of those they deem to be Bad Bloods. They are perhaps of even higher rank than most Elders, and they are not to be trifled with under any circumstances. If they are nearby, there must have been some Bad Blood activity around here recently. They are the last ones we need to encounter right now." Ko explained, sounding more nervous than Kurai had ever heard him.

Opening a compartment on the computer's control panel, the human rummaged through a series of random items until she found the disk the computer had wanted. She'd put the thing there after she'd pretty much mastered the controls of the craft, and hadn't thought of it since. Blowing the dust from the object, she inserted it into the drive and sent it to the mothership's computer, who took a moment to process the information before responding.

"Access authorized. For future convenience, do you wish to register the name of your ship?"

"Yes. The name is _The Unrelenting_." Kurai replied, relieved that they were going to get through the situation without too much trouble.

"_The Unrelenting. Owned by Ooman Kurai Blackwood_… Registration complete. Please proceed into the clan ship, and we apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused." with this, the hangar doors opened, allowing entry into the ship.

"That was too close." Ko muttered.

"_**These Arbitrators… They sound dangerous."**_ Makoto said quietly.

"Indeed. One must survive at least a thousand hunts to become an Elder, and Arbitrators usually have twice that number. They've grown bored with hunting Oomans and kiande amedha and set their sights on Bad Bloods–the criminals of the Yautja world–instead. Some of them even hunt kiande amedha Queens like they were Drones. Even you, Kurai, wouldn't last long against one of them." Ko replied.

"_**So then, these…Bad Bloods…must be quite a formidable bunch?"**_ Aiyoku inquired, his tail slicing through the air, as though in thought.

"It depends." the hunter said, as the ship descended into the hangar, "For Yautja, a Bad Blood is defined as any individual–male or female, young or old, high- or low-status–who knowingly, willingly, and maliciously violates the code of honor by which we abide. They mete out their punishments without hesitation, and they are not afraid to use their authority. Arbitrators are allowed by law to kill Bad Bloods or those who knowingly associate with them on the spot. Even most females have respect for them; and that's saying something."

"We're in." Kurai said, interrupting the conversation. The ship landed in the docking bay, and the passengers undid their restraints and prepared to leave.

"Now, the four of you; _stay inside the ship_. The last thing we need right now is for some Young Blood to catch a glimpse of one of you and blow the whistle on us all. Don't go outside, don't _think_ of going outside, and stay away from any windows. We'll be back as soon as we possibly can. I need to have my armor repaired, and we need more meat, so this might take a few hours. Find something to do so you don't get bored while we're away. If everything goes smoothly, we'll finish our business and get the hell out of here before the end of the day." Kurai said.

"_**And if it doesn't?"**_ Makoto asked cryptically.

"Then we're all fucked." Ko answered, just as darkly.

"Just stay here and stay quiet." Kurai advised. She then rushed to her room, collected her armor into a large bag, and went back to the ship's doors.

Together, Kurai and Ko descended the ramp and quickly closed the doors of the ship behind them.

"First thing's first; to Ne'Renh's quarters to get this fixed, then to the supply stores, then to the armory to see if they've got anything that can be of any use." the human said, as they hurried out of the hangar and through the hallways. They took the first lift they could find up to the higher decks, and made their way down even more corridors toward the room of the weapons-maker.

As soon as she reached the door, Kurai got an ominous feeling that something was…not wrong…but amiss somehow. Knocking on the doors, the human tried to make the nagging feeling go away.

Soon, the doors were opened and they were free to enter. Kurai found it strange that Ne'Renh didn't ask who was calling on him; as he had always seemed to be such a private person. Still, she had little time to dwell on trivialities; perhaps he was busy with some new weapon or something.

Making their way through the weapon- and armor-filled rooms, Kurai could have sworn that she could hear voices coming from up ahead.

"Do you hear someone else?" Ko asked, making the human jump.

"I think so; but you can hear better than I can… I hope he's not too busy with someone else." she replied.

"He won't be pleased that you damaged your armor in such a short time of acquiring it. I hope he will agree to help you. You know how he can be when it comes to such things. We only have enough money for either the weapons or food; we can't afford both." Ko informed his lover.

"I hope that he will help; but armor or no armor I'm going after Taki." Kurai said, as they rounded a corner. The voices had been growing steadily louder as they'd been walking, and they were prepared to be faced with one of Ne'Renh's customers once they'd located him, but what they found made them stop in their tracks.

Ne'Renh was standing in another of his workrooms, surrounded by a suit of jet-black armor with elegant silver symbols etched into it. On the table near him was a matching sword and shield–which Kurai found odd, since she'd never seen any Yautja wield one since she'd come to the clan. The sword looked like a larger version of a claymore; with a leather-bound hilt and black blade, and had the same silver symbols etched on it. All-in-all, Kurai got the impression that the armor was far from common, and that the symbols weren't just for decoration.

"Hey, what's up, Ne'Renh?" the human asked, drawing closer. As she did so, she could see the Yautja with whom the weapons-maker had been speaking. Ko had stayed where he was, and seemed as though he wanted to tell his companion something, but couldn't find the words.

He was a tall specimen; almost as much as Ko, and was a deep shade of grey with tiny forest green spots here and there. He was wearing a necklace of what Kurai realized were Xenomorph teeth…big ones, and a belt made of them as well. The loincloth he was wearing was made of dull silver metal, as were his boots and a pair of wristbands that went up to his elbows, and some sort of metal piece that went from his shoulder to his belt. He must have been quite old, as his hair was a lighter shade of grey, and on his head were several of the small, hard quills that seemed to be prominent on older Yautja, but he looked to be anything but feeble. There was an air about him that spoke of authority and power, and he seemed the type to demand instant respect from fellows and foes alike. There was a clan-marking scar on his forehead, but it was so faded by time that the human couldn't make out what symbol it was supposed to be. The new hunter cast a light brown eye on the human and raised an eyebrow ridge in question, followed by a click of curiosity, and looked at Ne'Renh, as if for an explanation.

"Ooman Kurai… I did not expect you here…" Ne'Renh said, showing true surprise at the situation.

"Y-yeah, I need my armor repaired. I'm going on…a really big hunt…and I'll need all the advantages I can get." she replied, her crimson eyes casting over to the other hunter.

"Ne'Renh… Is this Ooman a part of the Silver Crescent clan?" the newcomer asked, in a deep growling voice.

"Yes; she and her friend were accepted into our clan sometime last year." Ne'Renh explained.

"Her friend?" the stranger asked, looking at Ko, who looked away instantly.

"Not him; he was already a member. Her friend is another Ooman named Taki." the weapons-maker explained.

"That one seems to be absent here… The question is; how did these Oomans earn their way into the Silver Crescent in the first place? If I remember correctly, it is an especially honorable clan; not easy to enter even for Yautja."

"They both were given the task of defeating one of our members in unarmed combat. Both of them succeeded and were allowed to take their Chivas. They surpassed all expectations, with Kurai acquiring the skull of a Queen and her friend obtaining one of the Queen's Guard. The female also bested our Elder in an unarmed match–although narrowly. They have earned their marks, and the right to call themselves hunters under our laws." Ne'Renh said, with what Kurai thought might have been a touch of pride.

"This one defeated your Elder?"

"Yes."

"What was the premise of that bout?"

"I know not the reason for the match; but Kurai took a ship as her prize. It was an honorable fight, if I was informed correctly."

"Tell me, Ne'Renh, what other…accomplishments…has she performed?" the stranger asked, sounding amused, as though the weapons-maker were telling tales. Kurai was getting annoyed with the grey Yautja acting as though she weren't there, but felt it best to keep quiet; they had a task to accomplish so they could get on with rescuing Taki.

"She has made herself a favorite with Arbitrator Ya'Muri and her Northern Mountains clan, she fought and defeated the Matriarch of the Blue Leaf clan, and picked the replacement one, and fought a Bad Blood twice; she killed him the second time." this got the stranger's attention.

"You killed a Bad Blood?" he asked Kurai directly.

"Yes." she replied.

The stranger was silent for a moment, then began to walk out the door, brushing past Kurai as he did so.

"I will speak to your Elder. If what Ne'Renh says is true, I will explore this situation further; but if either of you are lying, I will make you pay for wasting my time." he said, and disappeared behind a corner.

"Who was that?" Kurai asked, once she was sure the other hunter had gone.

"His name is Reika; and he one of the fiercest Arbitrators of our time.


	37. Chapter 37

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 37**

"An Arbitrator, huh? What would one be doing here?" Kurai asked. Ko was quietly sitting in a nearby chair, apparently a bit shaken by the revelation.

Ne'Renh sat down at his worktable and began moving the black armor and sword around to make some room, he then turned back to them and replied.

"There were some Bad Bloods around here about a week ago. They showed up two days after you departed. Don't concern yourself; the Arbitrators easily dispatched with the criminals. There has been a step-up in ship security since then, however."

"Bad Bloods? What were they doing around here?" Ko asked, coming out of his minor stupor.

"Who knows why they do anything? Our computers have been authorized to ask for extra verification from any and all ships entering the hangars."

"Yeah, we had to register our ship and its name with the mothership's computers before we got in here. What was that Reika character doing here, anyway?" Kurai asked.

"Surely, there were no Bad Bloods onboard…?" Ko questioned.

"Of course not! His ceremonial armor was a bit scuffed after one of his clumsier students accidentally dropped it on his last visit to the homeworld. He was having me look at it to see if it could be repaired." the weapons-maker explained.

"Students?" Kurai questioned.

"Some of the more experienced Yautja will sometimes take on students who they feel are worthy to learn from them. I actually considered you for such a situation; but you are more of a weapons user and not a weapons maker. Besides; you haven't the patience for such things…" he admitted.

"By the way; what are you doing back here?" he asked, on an afterthought.

"I need my armor to be repaired. It's not very damaged; I'm just going on a long journey and I'll need it in top condition." the human said, trying to keep things as simple as possible.

"It shouldn't be damaged at all…but let me see it."

Kurai did as she was told and handed the bag containing her armor over to its maker. The only real problems were some scratches and a damaged wrist computer, but every one of her disadvantage was another of Stone's advantages.

"No wonder it's damaged; do you always carry it around in such a manner?" Ne'Renh asked, looking over the armor pieces on the table.

"No, but we're in a hurry today. I need to be…somewhere…within a month, and I don't have time to wait around for repairs to be made."

"_**You**__ don't have time for __**me**__?_! Have you forgotten that I _made_ your armor? If you'd treated it properly, it shouldn't have been damaged at all!" the Yautja snarled, jumping up suddenly.

"Of course not! But the situation's a lot more complicated than you realize! I need to be…somewhere…in a month, or else things are going to get really bad." the human defended.

"So then, what is going on?" the Yautja asked.

"We're hunting." Kurai said simply, glancing at Ko.

"What, specifically?"

"Something that needs to be hunted." the human answered, hoping that the older male would let the subject drop.

"You're hunting something that requires your armor to be repaired this soon? Ooman, you aren't hunting your own kind, are you?" Ne'Renh asked, seeming to find the concept abhorrent.

"Please, just fix my armor." the human replied.

"You realize that it is forbidden to hunt one's own species for trophies? Doing so will condemn you to the title of Bad Blood and end any chance you've got of attaining honor with us." the Yautja informed her. Ko's head jerked up and gave the human an urgent look.

"I'm not hunting humans...not exactly. This is a very complex situation, and one in which I have to have every advantage if I'm going to come out the victor. Please trust me when I say that I'm not doing anything that will dishonor myself, this clan, or the Yautja race." Kurai pleaded.

"I must be mad…but I will trust you, Ooman Kurai…" he replied.

"Then you'll fix my armor?" she asked.

"I will. Now go and do whatever else you need to do. This will only take about an hour, at most. I will come and find you once I am finished." Ne'Renh said, and began to work.

"So…do we pay you for this or what?" Kurai asked, looking around uncomfortably.

"I will charge you when I see fit, now go; I do my best work alone."

Kurai and Ko did as they were told, hurriedly exiting the room and heading for the door, when Ne'Renh called out to them.

"Be advised, Ooman Kurai, that I was once an Arbitrator, and still have the full authority of one. If I find out that you are up to something unseemly or illegal, I shall personally see to your punishment. I do not take kindly to people hiding things and lying to me." he warned, and Kurai and Ko hurried down the corridors and out onto the main deck.

"He was an Arbitrator?" Kurai asked Ko.

"Once, before he came here, he was known far and wide for sending many Bad Bloods to be judged by the death god Cetanu. After some time, he became bored with using weapons and began making them." Ko explained, as the two headed through the many lounges and assorted other rooms and to the supply stores on the lower decks.

"You need _how_ much meat?" the butcher asked, his yellow eyes widening.

"You heard right. I'm going on an extended trip and I need extra food." Kurai replied.

"Did you not restock your supplies recently? I remember you paid a great deal and took quite a large amount of food…" he said.

"Yeah, but now I need a bunch more meat… Can you help me or not?" she asked.

"Of course I can help you; but it is a strange order. Do you not want any fruit or greens of some sort? Even you must know that too much meat is not good for the systems."

"Nope just the meat…and the loan of one of your hovering transports. We'll bring it back as soon as we're doing loading."

"Do you have enough money for your purchase? It will be almost fifteen hundred, you know." the butcher said, doing the calculations on a data pad.

"We only have twelve…" Ko admitted, looking in the bag that held their money.

"Then we have a slight problem…"

"Can't we put it on credit or something? We're going on a long hunt and won't be back for awhile." Kurai explained.

"I'm sorry, Ooman; but as you said, you are going on an extended hunt and will not return for some time. I have no way of ensuring that you will repay me. Besides; only ranking members of this clan may pay with credit. Now, if you are still willing, I would be happy to give you all the food that your money will buy."

"All right…" Kurai sighed, and Ko handed over the money.

"It shouldn't take very long; I will have my assistants load your purchases onto the transport for you… Do you wish for them to load it onto your ship?"

"No… We'll do it." Ko said, rather quickly.

"Very well." The other Yautja replied, and motioned for two of his assistants to begin their work. In less then twenty minutes, a miniature mountain of packages had been loaded onto a hovering platform that could be pushed with an attached handle.

"I will have someone come to fetch it later today. Just leave it beside the door of the ship's hangar." the butcher said, as Ko and Kurai began to leave the room.

"All right. Thanks for the help." Kurai called back, as the door swooshed closed behind them.

"Do you think that this will be enough food?" Ko asked.

"I hope so; but I suppose that the Xenos might have to go into hibernation if worse comes to worse." she replied, not liking the idea.

"I'll be glad when this madness is done with. I'm tired of all the tricks and traps and ambushes… I just want to go back to hunting normal prey…" Ko said wishfully.

"I can't wait to see Taki again. I swear, I'm going to tear that bitch in half for– Oomph!" Kurai muttered, as she collided with something hard.

"The fuck was that?" the woman shouted, and looked up.

"Me." a familiar voice said simply. The voice came from the Arbitrator, Reika.

"Oh? Sorry. Come on, Ko; let's go." the human said, and Ko bowed to the Arbitrator before quickly following the woman.

"Kurai… This is your name, yes?" the Arbitrator asked, making the woman jump slightly.

"Yeah…"

"I have inquired about you to your Elder, and he has confirmed that you have accomplished an array of impressive and unusual tasks. He told me that you and your friend are becoming known by others outside your clan… It is not often that Oomans are accepted into our society; and far less often that they make any sort of name for themselves. Usually they are a simple novelty to be spoken of over glasses of c'nlip during drinking games. Apparently you," he said, looking at Ko, "are the one who brought this one to this clan. By the way, isn't there another one of you running around somewhere? Elder Yeyinde said that there were two."

"He's…away." Kurai said.

"No matter; you are the one that I find interesting." he then turned to Ko.

"Go about whatever it is you are doing, hunter; I have business with this one." he said in a commanding tone, and Kurai handed him the ship's controller, with an apologetic shrug.

"Well?" the woman said, crossing her arms. She didn't have time for crap like this.

"Tell me, how is it one such as you managed to kill a Bad Blood and a kiande amedha Queen? You are not particularly well-built… You are thin and a bit starved-looking."

"_And you're old and a bit of an asshole."_ the human thought, but kept her mouth shut.

"And then it is confirmed that you became the leader of a female clan… "No," I told myself, "this is not possible." but your Elder confirmed it. And you've won favor with the Arbitrator Ya'Muri… I know Ya'Muri; she is a cousin of a friend, and she does not often take a liking to people. What is more, Ne'Renh spoke favorably of you; and–not to dishonor him–he is one of the most irritable, cantankerous creatures I've ever known."

"Uhm, what's your point?"

"My point, impatient Ooman, is that you have managed to impress me; and that has not happened in quite some time. I wish to know if you would like to become one of my students. I have recently released two into the world as hunters, and I admit that I somewhat enjoyed passing my knowledge on to them. Your Elder, along with several others onboard, informed me that you use a foreign fighting style and an unusual weapon–or pair of them, rather–in combat. I am always eager to learn new techniques that may help me in battle against Bad Bloods. Well? What is your answer?" he asked.

"No thanks." Kurai replied, without hesitation.

"What?" he practically cried.

"I said no thanks. I appreciate you offer, and I can see that you are truly an experienced fighter; but I have something that needs doing, and I can't delay it any more than I already have. Good day." she then bowed and followed along after Ko, leaving the Arbitrator standing, stunned, in the middle of the corridor.

"What did he want?" Ko asked, when she'd caught up to him.

"He wanted to make me one of his students or something." she replied.

"He what? What was your answer?"

"I told him no. Taki's my first priority, Stone's my second. I've got no time to go off to God knows where. Come on; let's get this taken care of and get my armor back."

"B-but don't you understand how much of an honor it is to receive such an offer from an Arbitrator? You could learn techniques beyond anything you could learn here!" Ko said.

"I don't give a damn about techniques and honor when my best friend is in danger! I'll do whatever I have to do to get him back…" she said quietly, as they entered the hangar.

_Six years previously…_

"_Gone? What do you mean gone?" Mikomi Mura asked, confused._

_Taki and his mother Mikomi stood in the living room of Kurai's house, while the girl sat on the couch, tears forming in her eyes._

"_He said that he was going out to practice his moves in the backyard. After a couple of hours, I went out to see if he wanted some water or something; but he was gone! I saw this weird shimmering in the air, but nothing else! His towel was there, like he'd been using it, but there was no trace of him anywhere! I called for him for an hour, but he didn't answer. I looked in every room in the house, and checked the driveway, in case he'd gone somewhere and I hadn't heard him tell me or leave….but nothing. Both cars and his motorcycle were there, and there was no note, either. He didn't take his phone or his keys; they're both on the counter in the kitchen." Kurai explained._

"_But your dad wouldn't just go somewhere without telling you…he's always making sure to let you know when he's going somewhere, so you don't get into trouble." Mrs. Mura had said thoughtfully._

"_We should call the police; maybe he was kidnapped." Taki suggested._

"_But my dad's a world-class martial artist!"_

"_Anything can happen, Kurai. I'm going to call the authorities; perhaps they can find some clue." Taki's mother said._

_The police had come and searched every inch of the house and property, and except for the towel in the backyard, had found nothing to indicate a struggle. As for the strange shimmering, they had attributed it to Kurai being too hot and stressed, and that she'd seen a trick of the light or some such thing. Their best guess was that Vale Blackwood had just taken off on foot and not told anyone. _

"_Are you saying that Kurai's father abandoned her?" Mrs. Mura had demanded of the police sergeant._

"_It's happened before; a guy gets tired of his kids and takes off…no offense. We're looking into the possibility of a kidnapping, but it doesn't seem likely that someone with Mr. Blackwood's alleged martial arts skills to be taken easily. If he was kidnapped, you will likely receive some sort of ransom demand in the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours." the officer had responded. He and his subordinates had taken some more notes and left the house._

"_You're not staying here, Kurai; not alone, and not with someone possibly lurking around. Go upstairs and pack your things; you'll be staying with us for awhile." Mrs. Mura had said, and Kurai had done as she was told. Aside from her father and grandparents, Taki and his parents had been like a second family to Kurai. She had comforted her friend when his father was killed in a grocery store holdup, and he was already returning the favor…_

"_Come on; I'll help you. I'm sure that your dad will be back soon."_

_But he hadn't come back, and there was no ransom note. Vale Blackwood had disappeared off the face of the Earth. A few weeks after the disappearance, reporters had swarmed the Mura household, demanding if Kurai had any knowledge of her father's whereabouts and, a little later, throwing accusations that she had killed him. She had been taken, briefly, into custody, and remanded, again briefly, to a psych ward when she'd refused to retract her story of the strange shimmering in the air that day. Eventually she became tired of the mental hospital and told the doctors what they'd wanted to hear; that she must have been seeing things, and that she'd been stressed from school and her feminine time, and that the heat had been getting to her. They'd lapped it up and released her the same day. She would later come to find out that her grandparents had been threatening "dire action" for Kurai's committal, and that might have had more than a little to do with her being freed so easily._

_Kurai had stayed with Taki and his mother until she was sixteen, and was allowed to be emancipated. Her grandparents had helped her to get a house of her own out in the country. Taki had come to live there after his mother's death, when his stepfather had become too unbearable. They'd lived like that until Ko had "found" them._

_The present…_

"Kurai, we're here…" Ko said, nudging the human.

They were indeed standing in front of _The Unrelenting_, while Ko looked at her strangely.

"You seem to be doing that quite a bit lately." he observed, opening the doors with the remote Kurai had given him.

"Just thinking… Let's get this done; I want to go as soon as Ne'Renh's done with my armor." she replied, and the two started up the ramp with the supply of meat.

"_**Kurai, you are back."**_ Aiyoku's voice purred in her head as she entered the ship.

"And I brought food." she replied.

The hybrid appeared out of the kitchen, followed a moment later by Adelicia, who was apparently making him help her wash dishes. Makoto came out of the cockpit, dust rag in one hand, and Lee appeared above them, also holding a cloth in one hand.

"She's been making us clean this place…" Aiyoku said, sounding like a pouting child.

"_**This is Drone's work…"**_ the Praetorian muttered, but a hiss from Lee and a look from his mate stopped both the Xenomorphs from complaining further.

"You asked for something to do, and I gave you something to do. The next one to complain will be cleaning the bathrooms." the other human said sternly, and all three Xenomorphs shivered.

"Looks like you have toeing the line, Adelicia." Ko observed.

"They were getting a bit fidgety waiting all this time, so I gave them something to do to keep them occupied. Apparently, Xenomorphs don't do too well when left to their own devices for too long. I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to check in with Shisome and the others on Pluvia; it might help to calm everyone down." Adelicia said.

"Fine by me. Could one of you help us with these?" she asked the Xenomorphs.

Aiyoku and Makoto volunteered, along with Ko, and the four of them had the meat in the spacious freezer in less then twenty minutes.

"Do you think this'll hold you guys over?" she asked.

"_**I believe so, if we show enough self-control. Did you have success with your armor?"**_ Makoto asked.

"Yeah, Ne'Renh said it'll be easy to repair and that it shouldn't take him too long." the human replied, shutting the freezer door.

"Now all that's left is to put this by the door of the hangar and wait for him. When he comes, I'll get my armor back and we'll be off." she said.

Taking the borrowed transport, Kurai made her way to the ship's door, which was open with the ramp down.

"I'll have to remember to close this thing…" she thought, as she began making her way down the ramp. She was about halfway down when Makoto's voice got her attention.

"_**Kurai, Adelicia is having some trouble finding where you keep your laundry receptacle. She wants to wash some of her clothes. Also, Ko says that someone is attempting to contact you on your data pad…he seemed quite distressed."**_ The Praetorian said, coming out to catch her.

"I'll show her where it is in a minute, and I'll take care of the message; now get back inside! Someone might–" she began, but was interrupted by a loud noise from below.

"Oh..." was all the human could say.

The noise had been made by Kurai's armor, which had been dropped by Ne'Renh, who was staring straight at the pair on the ramp…


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 38**

"Oh…" Kurai squeaked again.

Makoto's attention had also been drawn toward the noise, and he was looking directly at the weapons-maker.

"_**On three, I take him."**_ the Praetorian said quietly, his tail swishing.

"You wouldn't stand a chance." Kurai thought back.

"_**Then what do we do?"**_ he asked.

"I don't know." she replied simply. Though Kurai was good at getting out of tight spots, it looked as though her luck had run out this time. There was no way that Ne'Renh hadn't seen Makoto, and there was no way that she could persuade him otherwise. They would need a miracle to get out of this one. For a brief second, the human contemplated allowing Makoto to go after the Yautja; but that was no good. The older male had already told her that he'd used to be an Arbitrator; and the noise of the fight might bring others. They were caught.

"By the gods…" Ne'Renh whispered, still looking over Kurai's shoulder.

"Uhm, hi?" Kurai said helplessly.

"What is? What in the name of? How? What is going on here?" he asked, seeming a bit dazed.

"Why, what do you mean…?" the human asked, moving to try to stand in front of Makoto, but knowing that she was far too small to cover the Xenomorph's form.

"That is a… That creature is a… WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" he roared.

"What is the commotion out– Oh! Oh dear…" Adelicia said, appearing next to her mate.

"And an Ooman, too?" Ne'Renh exclaimed.

"Uh, no?" Kurai said.

"Ooman, you have two seconds to tell me what the PAUK is going on here!" the Yautja said, looking at Kurai's two friends, who looked at each other and back to him.

"Look, I'm going to level with you; it would take two hours to explain it all." the human said.

"I've got nothing else to do; unless I decide to make a stop at Elder Yeyinde's chambers." he replied dangerously.

"NO!" Kurai cried, making her friends jump.

"Then tell me what is going on, right now!" Ne'Renh said quietly.

"Fine…but not here. Come inside and we'll tell you what you want to know." Kurai said, defeated.

"Inside? With that creature? Are you mad? Wait…" with this, he took out his data pad and pushed a couple of buttons.

"Kantra, this is Ne'Renh, I'm giving the Ooman her armor back now, but I should be there in about an hour." he said, and put the device away.

"Now someone knows that I'm here, and that I came to visit you. If you somehow manage to kill me, Kantra will come looking for me in one hour. If I vanish, you will be the first suspect." he warned.

"Fine; but I never had any intention of killing you." the human muttered, and turned to go inside the ship, followed by Makoto and Adelicia. The weapons-maker picked up the armor he'd dropped, and followed after them.

Kurai put the hover platform beside the door and waited for Ne'Renh to catch up, but he hesitated when he got into the ship and saw how close Makoto was to him.

"Give him some space, Makoto." the human said, and the Praetorian backed off.

"Should we go?" Adelicia asked, and Kurai nodded. Taking his mate by one hand, the Xenomorph led her away, leaving the other two alone.

"It listens to you?" Ne'Renh asked, looking on as the two disappeared around a corner.

"If he feels like it, he does."

"He? Never mind… How did this come to be? You realize that you are supposed to _hunt_ kiande amedha; not befriend them? Have you been keeping…_him_…as some sort of pet since your Chiva?" he asked.

"He's not my pet…and no. I knew him before I came to this clan." Kurai replied, wanting to keep things as simple as possible. She didn't know how much she'd have to reveal; only that everyone on the ship was in danger. There was no way out of it; if they killed Ne'Renh, they'd be Bad Bloods, and they'd be hunted by the Arbitrators, and if she revealed too much, Shisome and the rest of the hive would be at risk. She still had to rescue Taki; and every minute that she spent here was one which Stone could be using to torture her friend…

"And the other Ooman female?"

"She came later."

"So then, tell me the situation."

"I can't tell you everything…"

"You'd better. I don't like to make threats, but you had better convince me that I shouldn't go to Elder Yeyinde. One thing that most people don't know about me is that I thoroughly enjoy a good story; and this one should be just that."

"Well, the truth of it is… Taki's been kidnapped and I need Makoto and Adelicia to help me find him." she said.

"_He doesn't know about Aiyoku and Lee; maybe I can make this work to my advantage. I might not be able to do much; but I can probably make the situation a little less risky. Besides; I don't have to tell him about Shisome and the hive. For all he knows, Makoto and Adelicia are the only others aboard this ship."_ Kurai thought.

"I was wondering where your friend had gone to… Who took him?"

"A madwoman. She's threatening to kill him if I don't come to her hideout. I needed these two to help me take her down."

"So then, what about the kiande amedha's Queen?" the weapons-maker asked, and a sudden jolt went through Kurai's chest.

"His…Queen?" she asked, trying in vein to feign ignorance.

"Come now; I didn't get to this age by being stupid! He is one of the Queen's Guard; it is his purpose in life! Where is she? Surely she isn't onboard?"

"No, she's not; and I won't tell you where she is…you can do whatever you want to me after I find Taki, but I'm not going to give her up to you." the human said, meaning every word.

"I'm impressed. So, your friend is a prisoner… You do realize that Yautja do not avenge their fallen comrades?"

"Not on a hunt, no; but we weren't hunting this woman. She has tried to kill me and my friends and family on numerous occasions; she's hunting _us_. This is not about this clan; this is about _my_ friend…and _my_ honor." that got his attention.

"Explain." he said.

"You said that hunters can't avenge themselves on their prey; and that's correct. However, by attacking me and my companions the way she has, she has brought dishonor to me and those I care for. I may not be able to hunt humans–and I don't intend to–I am allowed by Yautja law to seek revenge if I am wronged or dishonored; and I have been. This woman is going to die by my hand in less than one month, and Taki will be back with me. If you want me to stand trial or anything, you have my word that I will return for it; but I will not allow you to harm my friends. Anyway, as an Arbitrator, you should know; I'm not technically doing anything wrong. There are no laws against befriending a Xenomorph. There are laws about starting a hive, hunting the creatures, and taking trophies; but this isn't covered by your codes…and believe me, I've checked." Kurai said, grasping at anything that could help.

"The kiande amedha…perhaps not; but the Ooman female is a problem. The only time your species is supposed to see the inside of one of our ships is if your are taken to them to join a clan. Anything else is forbidden. I could arrest you all right now for that little offense."

"True; but you wouldn't get to hear how this story plays out." the human said.

"Hm?"

"Wouldn't you like to know if I avenge my friend and my honor? Wouldn't you like to hear the exciting tale of how I bested my most vicious foe? I know it's something I'd love to hear about from someone else."

"True…things are so dull around here; I was actually a bit glad of the Bad Blood situation…at least it was something new… Very well; I will let you go to your friend. In return, however, I expect a full and detailed recount of the entire situation. I want to know blow-for-blow how your battle went. Do we have a deal?" he asked.

"Yes, absolutely!" Kurai said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Then I will take my leave. By the way; I couldn't have arrested you, anyway. Despite all of our laws, there is really nothing that covers this; no one has ever attempted this kind of relationship with a kiande amedha. Enjoy your armor; you may consider your story payment." he said, and waited while Kurai lowered the door for him.

"What happened? I got a message from Ne'Renh saying that he was coming to give you your armor back, then Aiyoku and I got into an argument and I couldn't come to help." Ko said, appearing out of the cockpit.

"Yeah…he saw Makoto and Adelicia." Kurai said.

"WHAT?" Ko roared.

"Yeah, but he said that he'd forget what he saw if we told him a good story about how we beat Stone…" she replied, in a bit of a daze about the entire situation.

"He did? And he won't go to the Elder?"

"Nope; not so long as we make it a good story… Now all we need to do is put this thing back and we can go."

"I'll do that…" Ko offered, and hurried to take the cart away.

"_**That was far too close."**_ Makoto said, coming from a room behind the human.

"I agree; that could have been bad." Kurai said.

"_**Let's get out of here as soon as possible; I don't like being around these hunters."**_

"I'm with you… Too bad we couldn't get to the armory; some projectile weapons could have helped… Oh well."

"All right, let's get out of here." Ko said, returning from his task.

"Right." Kurai said, and they hurried to the cockpit.

"You know, I've been thinking about something for quite some time, Kurai." the Yautja said, once the engines had activated.

"What's that?"

"Well, it seems to m–and you might think me mad–that fortune seems to be battling over our fates."

"How so?" Kurai asked, as the Xenomorphs and Adelicia came up front to see the takeoff.

"It just seems as though we are going through a maelstrom of good and bad luck. When we are at our most desperate, we somehow seem to come out better than we were before." he explained.

"Let's just hope that our luck holds out this time." Kurai said, as they took off into space.


	39. Chapter 39

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Yeah, it's a short one. I've been re-watching Yu-Gi-Oh! and it's taken a lot of my time lately because I can't read subs and write fics at the same time; I've tried. By the way, i guess I've been under a rock for awhile, because the suffix "shipping" (psychoshipping, peachshipping, thiefshipping) keeps popping up in the comments of the videos and in some fan fics. Will someone please explain this to me? When did this happen?**

**Chapter 39**

"_**Kurai, how much longer until we get there?"**_

Makoto had been restless for the past couple of days. The Xenomorph had, under Adelicia's suggestion, cleaned the kehrite, the cockpit, and the kitchen, but he was still very fidgety. Kurai had to wonder if it had something to do with being away from Shisome for so long, but the Xenomorphs had assured her that they simply didn't enjoy being cooped up for too long.

They had been traveling for almost three weeks, with the Xenomorphs hibernating now and again, more out of sheer boredom than actual need. Kurai, in an effort to alleviate their anxiety, contacted Pluvia every day and let them speak with Shisome; with the humans translating to make up for the lack of telepathy over the distance. This helped greatly, especially with Makoto, whose duty as a Praetorian was always foremost in his mind.

Adelicia was holding up rather well. She had her chores and cooking to keep her occupied, and she found Kurai and Ko fascinating, which both flattered them and made them a bit uncomfortable.

"Two days; and if you ask me again, I swear to God…" she mumbled.

"_**I can't wait to get out of here… I'm so bored!"**_ Lee said. The Drone didn't complain often, but the human had to admit that she felt the same way.

All the time in the ship had made everyone irritable. Adelicia was making Makoto sleep in the kehrite for saying that he couldn't stand the smell of her cooking, and Aiyoku had taken a snap at Ko for some comment or other involving the hybrid's masculinity–no one wanted any more details on the subject.

"_**I'm going mad in here! At least I'll get a chance to release some tension when we get there…"**_ the Praetorian muttered, his tail swishing quickly in agitation.

"_**Agreed."**_ Lee and Aiyoku said together.

"_Two more days until I can rescue Taki…"_ the human thought to herself. She hoped desperately that her friend was all right; though she was sure that Stone hadn't exactly given him five-star accommodations. Kurai's enemy had not contacted her again since she'd given her the directions to her headquarters; so Kurai hadn't seen Taki in almost a month. The though of her friend in the clutches of that woman made Kurai's blood seethe, and she wished that the ship could go faster. She and her friend hadn't spent so much time apart since they'd met all those years ago. He was her best friend; but he was more like her brother than anything. He'd been there for everything–good and bad–in Kurai's life since they were both six…and she had for him.

"Kurai?"

A voice broke through the human's thoughts, making her look around for the source.

It was Ko. He had sat in the seat next to her and was looking at her with concern.

"W-what?" she asked, wondering if he'd asked her a question or something.

"Kurai, you've been like this for weeks." the Yautja said. In the background she could hear the Xenomorphs arguing lightly amongst themselves about something or other, refereed by Adelicia.

"Wouldn't you be? He's my best friend, Ko; we've been together forever, and I let Stone capture him."

"You didn't "let" her do anything. She used dishonorable tactics to gain the upper hand. When we find her, there will be retribution."

"It's not that simple. Don't you get it? I let it happen! We shouldn't have split up; that's what she wanted…what she was counting on! We fell into her trap, and now Taki's suffering for it!"

"_**You should trust in your own abilities more…and Taki's. She'll keep him alive until you reach her base, at least; we have a chance to save him, if we play it carefully."**_ Makoto said, coming over to the pair.

"Yes, we will play honorably, and we will prevail." Ko said, sounding determined.

"Mph…" Kurai said quietly.

"What?" the hunter said, turning to look at his companion.

"Well–and hear me out here–why do we have to play fair at all? She didn't; and she's got the upper hand right now…"

"We have to play fair to prove that we are the honorable ones in this. Would your family approve of you saying such things?" Ko asked, sounding a bit shocked.

"Yes."

"What?"

"Look, I'm as fair as they come; but when someone pulls some shit like this, you've got to hit them hard. Mercy isn't something that one should give lightly; and you shouldn't expect it from your enemies. We have to get in there and take her out before she has time to slither off somewhere else."

"And you were taught this?" Adelicia asked.

"In my family, we are taught to be kind to friends, and merciless to enemies. We take up arms to help those we hold dear, and to lay down those who would cause us grief. By going after my friends, Stone has brought me dishonor…and my family as well. She can never be forgiven, and must be dealt with accordingly."

"Tough bunch…" Lee muttered.

"So then, you're still adamant about killing her?" Adelicia asked.

"Oh, absolutely. She's not going to get the chance to go off somewhere and hide this time. And how can you even ask me that? What is it going to take to convince you that I'm actually going to go through with this?"

"Because _my_ family always taught me that taking another life–any life, for any reason–was wrong." the other human replied.

"Then I suppose you won't be joining the fight?" Kurai asked.

"_**No; she will be safe in the ship. She only came along because of me, anyway."**_ Makoto answered.

"At least that'll be one less thing to worry about." Ko said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Adelicia demanded.

"No offense; but you aren't exactly…battlefield material." the Yautja said.

"Oh? How so?" the woman asked.

"_**He means that you can't fight for shit."**_ Aiyoku explained.

"Makoto? Do you share his sentiments?" Adelicia asked, turning to her mate.

"_**I do think that you are improving…but for something like this… It is better if you stay…out of the way."**_ the Praetorian muttered.

"Oh!" she said, and stormed off.

"_**And I will stay in the training room again tonight…"**_ Makoto said quietly, his tail falling to the floor in defeat.

The ship continued on with its journey, with everyone onboard feeling the same ominous tension building up inside of them.


	40. Chapter 40

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Okay, I saw a preview of the new movie "Predators" that's supposed to be coming out soon, so I'm REALLY excited about that, so I'm really on a roll today! Fingers crossed that the movie doesn't suck!**

**Chapter 40**

"All right…we're here."

Kurai and the others looked at the moon that was coming closer and closer in the distance. The directions had led them to this place; an abandoned moon over an abandoned mining planet.

The moon looked a bit like that of Earth, with craters here and there, but was a deep green color. It orbited a Mars-sized planet that was a rather nasty-looking brown color, with green, wispy clouds swirling in its atmosphere.

For the past two days, the group's tension had been threatening to boil over into physical confrontation. Kurai had been especially moody, and had spent much of the time in the kehrite by herself, training harder than she had in a long time.

"How long until we land?" Ko asked.

"She gave us a specific time of twelve noon; it's eleven fifteen now… We have forty-five minutes to make our descent and landing." the human replied.

"_**Do you think that she knows we've arrived?"**_ Makoto asked.

"I can't say either way. She said that she couldn't track this ship because of the Yautja technology, but she's probably not expecting that we'll be late." Kurai said, and began the procedure to descend to the moon's surface. The computer informed them that it would be twenty minutes until they landed, so they sat back to wait.

"_**Let's go over the plan for when we disembark."**_ Aiyoku suggested, easing the silence.

"Good idea. All right; when we get inside her base, we're not going to split up. That was the mistake we made last time, and we can't afford to let her have the opportunity to take more hostages. We'll stay together and take out all the guards she sends our way, okay?" Kurai said.

"Right." everyone answered back.

"Once we get past the guards, we'll work on finding Stone herself. We'll check every room in the place until we find her. I'm sure she'll have Taki with or near her, in case she wants to toy with us some more. With all of us together, she won't be able to run to a ship and make an escape. Remember; our chief concern is getting Taki out of there."

"Right." everyone said again.

"Adelicia, you're going to stay here and keep the ship's doors at the ready, okay?"

"Yes, but why?" the brunette asked.

"Because, once I'm done with Stone, we're blowing this place to hell with our bombs, right, Ko?"

"Absolutely." the Yautja replied resolutely.

"It takes about a minute, so we should be in the clear if we get a head start. There's no way to stop the detonation sequence once it's passed thirty seconds, so we've got to run like hell as soon as we throw the things." Kurai warned.

"Bombs?" Adelicia asked.

"Yeah, bombs. Every Yautja hunter or huntress carries a thermo-nuclear device on their person when hunting. It's usually used in case one is captured or injured, but I think it'll be more useful in making sure that no one finds this place. Not even a cockroach can survive these things, if Ne'Renh told me the truth." the dark-haired human said.

"It will take some explaining why the bomb went off without our dying in the process." Ko muttered.

"We'll take care of that when the time comes." Kurai replied, intending to make up a story as soon as they were in the clear.

A small bump told them that they'd landed on the planet. Kurai's data pad went off a moment later, and the woman was certain that she knew who it was on the other end.

"Hello, Kurai. It's been quite awhile since we've chatted, hasn't it?" Irene Stone said, a smirk forming on her face.

"How the hell did you know we were here?"

"I have seismic sensors in the ground for miles around my base. You set them off the moment you landed. Clever, isn't it?"

"I guess. Where's Taki?" Kurai asked.

"He's safe, for the moment. You arrived a bit early…but I'll forgive you. My laboratory is to the east of here; half a mile, to be exact. The air on this planet isn't really breathable…I hope you've got some sort of oxygen mask. I'll see you when you arrive." with this, she ended the conversation.

"Shit! How are we going to get you guys there if you can't breathe?" Kurai said.

"Why don't we just fly the ship the rest of the way? Adelicia suggested.

"Good idea; but we'll need to make a run to get to the entrance of her base. Do you think you three can manage?" the other human asked the Xenomorphs.

"_**I believe so."**_ Makoto replied, looking at his companions.

"Okay then. Let's get this thing flying…" Kurai went sat in her seat and lifted the ship a few dozen feet off the ground, making the vessel glide smoothly across the terrain in the indicated direction. Soon, they could see Stone's base.

The place was a small mansion, a bit like the one on Eden, but made of white bricks. Aside from the house, there was nothing else to be seen, save for a large dome surrounding the place, and some sort of smokestack looking contraption.

"It's a terraformation plant…a private one." Kurai said quietly. She'd seen them in magazines on Earth; with one, a person could create their own personal supply of breathable air on a planet where oxygen was scarce. They were expensive, however; with the cheapest ones running upwards of one-hundred million dollars.

"She must be quite wealthy…" Adelicia said quietly.

"Or one hell of a thief…" Kurai muttered, and looked back at the ship's computer. One hundred feet was the closest that she could safely manage, so she set the craft down and donned her mask. Ko took the cue and made sure that his was safely on as well.

"Saving yourself a hike, eh? You're quite smart, Kurai Blackwood… You may proceed to the door of the large dome. It isn't locked, nor is the door to the mansion. Once inside, the real fun can begin." Stone said, through the data pad, and vanished again. Kurai, Ko, Makoto, Aiyoku and Lee headed back to the doors of the ship and prepared to open them.

"_**Lee, stay here with Adelicia."**_ Makoto said, seemingly on impulse.

"_**What? Why?"**_ the Drone asked.

"_**In case she needs protecting."**_ the Praetorian replied simply.

"_**But I–"**_ Lee began, but was stopped by her superior.

"_**Lee, please; I don't wish to leave my mate here alone."**_

"_**But… Very well…I suppose you are right."**_ Lee sighed.

"_**Thank you; I owe you a favor when we return home."**_ Makoto said.

"_**You've got that right…"**_ the Drone said, and headed back to the cockpit to join Adelicia.

"_**I couldn't live with myself if my mate were harmed; and Jim would never forgive me if something happened to Lee."**_ the Praetorian explained.

"I understand. Now, on three, we run out the door and enter the dome. From there, we go through the mansion doors. I can't say for sure, but I can bet that there are at least a few guards posted there. We've got to take them out as quickly as possible. I'm sure that she's got security cameras everywhere inside; so the element of surprise we've got with you guys won't last long. Okay…one…two…three!" with this, Kurai pushed the button near the doors, and the ramp lowered.

"Hold your breaths and run!" she yelled, and rushed down the ramp, followed by her friends.

They came to the airlock doors of the giant dome, and found that they must have been motion-activated, for they swooshed open as soon as Kurai got within one foot of them. In less than ten seconds, everyone was safely inside the dome. The Xenomorphs let out their breaths, and Kurai's mask told her that the air would be breathable. Not wanting to be without the head protection the mask offered, she kept it on, as did Ko.

"Let's hurry to that mansion!" the human called out, and stated running again. The made their way to the front of the large house, finding that there were no guards in the front yard or on the porch.

"_She's probably got all her security inside…"_ the human thought, as she carefully reached out and touched the handle of one of the doors. When nothing happened, she cautiously opened the door and looked inside.

The place was, like the other mansion, gloomy and unused. There was dust on everything, and sheets covered the furniture. Luckily, the lights were on this time, so at least they could see where they were going.

"Come on!" she said, and rushed inside the house, the others following.

They stood together in a small bunch, waiting for something to happen. They didn't have to wait long.

"What's this? It looks like you've brought guests! I thought I warned you about that?" Stone's voice came out over what sounded like a loudspeaker. She did not sound amused by this turn of events.

"You said no Shadows; these guys don't count. See, I can use technicalities too!" Kurai called back.

"I'd keep a civil tongue if I were you; your friend is still in very real danger. I have all the time I want to play with him while you find me…and my guards along the way!" she snapped.

As if on cue, no less than ten black-clad men came out of various unseen rooms. Much to her surprise, the guards here didn't have guns, either; which meant that her enemy wanted her to proceed through the mansion…

"I'm a bit interested to see what kind of damage you can do against these guards. They are my most elite bunch, you know; former mercenaries and assassins, the lot of them. They are masters of unarmed combat, so they don't need guns. It's just my private fighting force against you, your strange alien friend, the Praetorian, and…what is _that_ thing?" the other human asked, apparently meaning Aiyoku.

"Something you didn't count on!" Kurai yelled, and the fight began.

The men rushed at the group, intending to take them en masse; but this was a beginner's mistake. Kurai gave one a devastating slash to the chest, while Ko immediately impaled two on his combi-stick, before shaking the corpses free and resuming battle. Along with the tried-and-true practice of tearing large chunks from his opponent, Makoto used what could only be described as a sort of "fishing" technique; wherein he impaled his enemy anywhere he could reach with his tail and brought them in close enough to give a fatal blow to the skull with his second mouth. Kurai had seen such a technique before, on a documentary about Xenomorphs.

Aiyoku's method was similar to Makoto's; but with a somewhat more gruesome twist. The hybrid would either impale or trip an opponent; anything to get a hold on them, and then use his massive mandibles and jaws to literally crush their heads. Kurai made a mental note not to underestimate such hybrids, should she ever encounter another one.

At last, all of the guards lay dead or dying on the floor, the walls and ceilings bathed in crimson.

"Very nice. Whatever your other friend is, he has a very interesting way of fighting… Is he some sort of Xenomorph cross?" Stone asked, over a couple of moans of her dying employees.

"None of your business! Now, where the hell are you?" Kurai asked.

"So pushy…but I'll admit that I want to get this over with as much as you do… All right. Down the hall, you will find an elevator that leads to the basement floor. If you take it, you will be closer to me than you are up here." she let the air go dead.

"_**Should we trust her?"**_ Aiyoku asked, something that Kurai didn't want to think about dripping from his jaws and forming a puddle in the floor.

"Of course not; but we've got no choice." Kurai replied, and the four headed down the hall.

They found the elevator, just as described, and crowded inside, where Kurai pushed the indicated button. The human thought darkly that there should be some sort of chamber music as they made their descent into who-knows-where, and smiled cynically at the thought.

Their elevator finally touched bottom after almost five minutes, giving the impression that they were quite a long way underground.

"_This is no ordinary basement…"_ Kurai thought to herself, as the doors opened, and the group stepped out.

Her thoughts were confirmed immediately; it was no basement…it was some sort of research laboratory. Everything in the vicinity was either white or gleaming steel. There were computers and lab tables everywhere, and enough test tubes and beakers to make up ten college chemistry labs. Bright florescent lights shone overhead, and the only color in the room seemed to be the four newcomers, and the blood that dripped from them and their weapons. There was one main room, and two doors that led out through the left and right; leading Kurai to have a bad feeling that they'd be separated again.

"_**What is this?"**_ Makoto asked, looking around. Aiyoku imitated him, giving strange little noises in the process.

"What are you talking about?" Ko asked.

"_**I feel…"**_ the Praetorian began, but was silenced a moment later.

"This is my laboratory, Kurai Blackwood and friends. Here is where my brother and I used to conduct our experiments. We made some fascinating discoveries here… Now, if you'll direct your attention to the screen…"

A large computer screen descended from the ceiling, on which appeared their enemy's face in bright detail.

"Now, I'd like the four of you to split up now. I have a little surprise for each of you, and I don't want you to tell what it is."

"You're fucking insane if you think that we–" Kurai began, but the appearance of another screen from the ceiling cut her off.

On the screen was an image of Taki, tied to a chair. His armor had been removed, leaving him in a black shirt and pants. He was unconscious, but didn't look as though he was dead. Beside him stood someone–a woman, by the look of it–holding a gun to the man's head. The woman had a mask over her face, obstructing all but her eyes.

"Your little trick with these Xenomorphs was clever, Kurai; but I'm smarter, and my mind works faster. While you were busy with my guards, I cooked up a little surprise for them as well; especially the Praetorian. If you want your friend back alive, I suggest you split up. You go through the left door, and the Xenomorphs and your humanoid friend go through the right. Unless you don't want your dear Taki Mura back?"

The masked woman on the other screen took a cue and cocked the trigger of the gun she was holding. Kurai gritted her teeth, and nodded to Ko and the others.

"But we can't let you go alone!" Ko protested.

"We've got no choice!" Kurai said back.

"I'll be okay." she said, a moment later.

Ko nodded reluctantly, and the three aliens took off through the right door as they were told, leaving Kurai n the main room.

"Through the left door, Kurai Blackwood…" Stone repeated.

"I'm going…" the woman muttered, and trudged off through the door.

The door opened automatically, revealing a short, sterile-looking hallway down which Kurai began to walk.

"You know, my brother and I built this place together." Stone said, as the other woman walked.

"I don't care." Kurai replied.

"We did experiments here… Our primary focus was on the Xenomorphs. They fascinated us, so we wanted to learn everything about the creatures. We worked for years, perfecting our research, finding specimens…but our grants were few and far between. The military wasn't and isn't interested in studying the creatures…only killing them, so our grants were few and far between. Eventually, we had to resort to…other means…to obtain the funds we needed." she continued.

"Still don't care. Where is my friend?" Kurai demanded.

"Don't care? You really should care; this will affect you soon…but I will tell you, despite your rudeness. At the end of the hallway, you will see a door. Your friend is in the rooms beyond it. First, however, you will have to fight my newest inductee into my ranks. I believe that you will find her quite a challenge… Meisai did…"

Kurai thought about this; who exactly did Stone employ? As she got to the door at the end of the hall, her sense of foreboding increased. Opening the door, she found herself in a small, white room with one door leading out of it into a larger, also white room. This room was divided by a large pane of glass, on the other side of which was…

"Taki!" Kurai yelled, seeing her friend tied up in a corner of the separated room.

"Yes, Taki. He is, as I said, alive; but you have to fight _her_ to save him." Stone's voice reminded.

From an unseen door on the other side of the glass came the woman who'd been holding the gun before. She came and stood in front of Kurai, apparently waiting for further orders from her boss.

"Ivan and I made breakthroughs that would have put us on top of the medical and scientific world…if they'd been done legally. He was, in truth, a much more studious person than I ever was… His death set back research that took decades to accomplish."

"I'm _so_ sorry he's gone…" Kurai said sarcastically.

"I'm not. I hated my brother. He was always grabbing at glory and never acknowledging me for my contributions. Personally, I hope he's burning in the deepest part of Hell right now. The problem is, I lost a great deal of information when you let that Praetorian kill him. He didn't leave a lot of records, for legal purposes, you see; so I had to strive to piece together what he did leave. I came up with something that would shake the very foundation of science…something that _you_ helped me to accomplish…but I can't tell you what it is unless you go up against her." the demented researcher said, apparently meaning the woman on the other side of the glass, who was still motionless and silent.

"Fine; but who is she?" the dark-haired human asked.

"Oh? You don't recognize her, do you? How about if she removed her mask?"

The other woman did as her employer suggested, and Kurai took a step back in shock, her crimson eyes growing wide.

Kurai Blackwood stared back at a mirror image of herself.


	41. Chapter 41

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 41**

"_**What do you think she wants with us?"**_ Makoto asked, as the group made their way down the indicated hallway.

"Likely, she doesn't really care about us, so long as Kurai is in her hands." Ko replied darkly.

"_**Still, I am nervous."**_ the Praetorian said quietly.

"_**As am I; but she will kill Kurai's friend if we don't follow orders."**_ Aiyoku said.

They had been walking down the hallway for a few minutes, with nothing except the occasional small group of guards to occupy them. Everyone was on edge, and with good reason. They were in the midst of their enemy's stronghold, and had no way of knowing what was happening to their comrade.

"_**I wish that Stone would just bring on whatever she has in store for us."**_ Makoto snarled, using his powerful claws to literally tear an opponent in half.

"You'd better never let Adelicia see you doing something like that." Ko scoffed, smiling cynically behind his mask.

"_**What Addie doesn't know won't hurt her. I have to admit; I'm rather enjoying this!"**_ the Praetorian growled.

"_**Though it is a bit disappointing…I'd thought humans would be more of a challenge…"**_ Aiyoku commented, sinking his teeth into the neck of an unlucky guard. The man screamed as he bled to death in less than ten seconds.

"They usually are; but these seem to be unarmed for the sheer purpose of distracting us. I wonder what that female has planned…" Ko replied.

"_**Whatever it is, I hope Kurai is faring better than we are at the moment. I'm fighting, and I'm still bored!"**_ Aiyoku said, human blood dripping from his mouth.

"_**And that feeling is still there…do you sense it too, Aiyoku?"**_ Makoto asked.

"_**Yes…it's making me very nervous."**_ the hybrid replied darkly, leaving Ko to wonder what they were talking about.

The three fighters made gruesome trails as their feet tracked through the fresh blood and down the hall.

"What the Hell?" Kurai said, backing up against the wall. The creature in the next room looked back at her with expressionless purple eyes–her eyes.

"Do you like her? She's the seventh attempt, so she's called No. VII. She's an exact duplicate of you. I grew her especially for this day; aren't I generous?" Stone sneered through the intercom system.

"How? When?" Kurai asked, still shocked.

"On Pluvia, of course… Meisai injured you, remember? The blood I collected from her weapon was more than enough to create this lovely clone. Why, I could make ten more, if I wanted to; but this one will do, for now."

"Why did you…?"

"Why? Because I could, of course! Did you know that you can give a person a great deal of education subliminally during the fetal stage? This clone here, for example, has a library's worth of martial arts knowledge. I filled her head with lessons on every single type of martial arts known to man; karate, judo, taekwondo, even some kung fu! Your little fans are no match for this clone, Kurai! Now, you will fight my creation."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because if you don't, I will have her kill your little friend. He's actually been quite a nuisance to me, you know; he killed no less than a dozen of my men since he's been in my tender loving care. I want to see how a clone fares when pitted against the original! If you win, I'll open the door and allow you to go to your friend; if not, you die, he dies, and your three other friends die." Stone said simply.

"Fine then…I'll kill that…_thing_…and then I'm coming for you, bitch!" Kurai snarled.

"Oh? Well then, won't you be surprised when you see the _other things_ I've made for you!"

"What "other things"? What else have you done?" Kurai demanded, as a door to the left of her opened into a large, empty room.

"You'll just have to find that out if you win this fight, won't you? Now, if you'll step into the room to your left, the show can start!"

Kurai clenched her teeth in fury, but a look at Taki told her that she had no other choice. Grudgingly, she stepped into the other room, where the door sealed shut behind her. A moment later, the clone stepped into the room, still with the blank look on her face.

"You know, you don't have to do this…" Kurai said to the creature, who stared back at her.

"It's no use trying to turn her against me; she's not much more than a living doll, really. You see, I basically manipulated her brain in the beginning stages of her creation. Aside from her combat abilities, she only lives to take orders from me. For example… No. 7, jump for your master!"

The clone–No.7–did as she was told, then went back to standing stock-still.

"You're _really_ fucked up, Stone; you know that?" Kurai called out.

"Perhaps; but you don't have time to worry about my mental state, Ms. Blackwood! No. 7; kill her!"

Immediately, No. 7 leapt into action, running head-n toward the still-immobile Kurai. The woman barely had time to dodge a kick that could have easily broken her neck.

"Shit; she's good!" Kurai admitted, dodging another kick. For the next couple of minutes, all she could was block and dodge as No. 7 kicked and punched without end.

"_I've got to attack or this'll go on forever!"_ Kurai thought to herself.

Raising her left fan, Kurai took aim and slashed downward at No. 7, which would have been a mortal wound, if the clone hadn't jumped away at the last second. The result was a rather shallow cut, which began to bleed onto the spotless white floor.

"Did she even feel that?" Kurai wondered aloud.

"No, actually; I dulled all the pain receptors in her brain when I made her. It's a pretty handy ability, if I do say so myself. You could cut off an arm or leg, and she'd still keep coming." Stone answered back, as her creation charged at Kurai again.

"You're insane! What right do you have to do something like that?" Kurai yelled.

"Right? I have all the rights in the world, Kurai! One with knowledge like mine isn't bound by "ethics" and "rules"; this experiment had to be performed, and I did. You of all people should know what I'm talking about."

"How…so?" Kurai snapped, giving No. 7 a kick to the torso, which may have broken a rib or two, by the sound of the impact.

"Come now; you and your family have been breaking the rules for a very, very long time. You know what I mean; all someone has to say is your family name, and the entire room goes quiet. Your family can get away with things that no normal person would ever dare to do! You've got power, influence, and–let's face it–your own private army of trained assassins. You have the resources to do anything you could ever want…and I intend to cash in."

"Cash in? What the fuck do you mean by that?" Kurai shot back, ducking another wicked kick.

"Think about it, Kurai; I have an exact clone of you…and I heard it from Meisai that you are positioned perfectly to be the Iron Fan Clan's next head." Stone said ominously.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that with No. 7 here, I can control all the money and power that your family has at its disposal. I didn't actually think of the idea until a couple of weeks ago; but I've had since then to plan it out. First I'll kill you, then I'll fly my little pet back to Earth, where she–you–will cause a few "accidents" that will lead to her being the next in line to be the head of your family. Once this is done, I'll control No. 7 from the shadows. With your resources, I can continue my research uninterrupted for as long as I choose. Anyone who opposes me will answer to your Shadows… It all fits perfectly!" she then gave a demented laugh.

"I take it back, you're not insane; you're a fucking nutcase! You don't actually believe that I'd ever let that happen, do you? Just try your little stunt when I kill your "pet"!" Kurai yelled.

With this, she slashed with her fan again, landing a much deeper blow to the clone's torso. She then grabbed No. 7's hair and pulled forward, making the creature bend over, wherein Kurai gave her a spectacular knee to the face. This caused a torrent of blood to gush from the clone's nose and mouth, spattering the room even more. No. 7 shook off the blow, and attacked again.

"Good luck with that, Kurai; but I'm going to go visit your friends while you play with No. 7. Have fun!" Stone said, and turned off the intercom.

"Hello again!"

The three aliens tensed at the sound of their enemy's voice. They had reached the end of the hallway and were standing in front of a door, contemplating what to do next.

"I know that all of you can understand me; so why don't I explain myself. While cleaning out my attic I found something special that the Praetorian might want to see. If you'll step through the door in front of you…"

The door opened, and the three cautiously entered the room beyond.

"At the front of the room you will see a large monitor; please direct your attention to it."

They did as they were told, and went to the front of the room to stand in front of the wall-sized screen.

"_**What do you think she wants to show us?"**_ Aiyoku growled cautiously.

"Nothing good, I'm certain." Ko replied.

"Now pay close attention to the screen in front of you." Stone said, and the monitor flickered to life.

It only took a moment, but the images became very clear. They were apparently taken from an airborne source, and were a little shaky, but there was no denying what they depicted.

Hundreds of human soldiers descended upon a black mass that was soon revealed to be a massive swarm of Xenomorphs. Drones, Runners, Warriors, and a few Praetorians rushed toward the battle, intent on killing everything in their path. The two forces clashed, and all Hell broke lose. There was no other way to describe the situation other than pure and utter chaos. Soldiers engaged the Xenomorphs, only to be ripped apart by slashing tails, claws, and fangs. Xenomorphs rushed at the humans, only to be torn to pieces by machine gun bullets. Tanks then entered the fray, blowing up a large hill behind the black swarm that could only be the creatures' hive. A second later, something massive erupted from the ground–the Queen.

She rushed into battle, engaging humans and tanks alike. Dozens met their end by just being crushed under her enormous feet, and her razor claws, teeth, and tail took care of many more. The massive creature easily toppled tanks and artillery vehicles, and opened them like tin cans for her subordinates to get at the humans within.

"_**What is this?"**_ Makoto asked, backing away a bit.

"It looks like one of the humans' extermination campaigns. They do it every now and then when they find a kiande amedha hive that has grown too large or too close to their colonies." Ko explained, watching the battle continue. Usually, the Yautja would finds something like this interesting, but the way Makoto was acting made him think otherwise. The Praetorian was behaving very oddly; fidgeting and swishing his tail in agitation and anxiety.

Ko didn't have time to ponder this, as a loud explosion and shriek made him turn sharply back to the monitor.

A tank had apparently gotten a shot in, for the Queen shrieked in agony again and fell to the ground. A Praetorian rushed to her, and the two seemed to make some sort of communication, for the Praetorian seemed to nod and rush off. Ko realized that the Xenomorph looked a bit familiar… He was dragged away from the thought by the camera's turning from the battle to focus on…

"See, Ivan? I told you to leave this to me!" Irene Stone said, looking into the camera. She was apparently in some sort of hovering vehicle, for bits and pieces of the ongoing fray below could be seen out the window.

"Ms. Stone, there one goes! It's carrying something…" someone off-camera shouted. The camera panned back to show a large Xenomorph dashing away from the fight, and it was indeed holding something in it's arms.

"Oh, damn! It must be carrying an egg! Contact our guys on the ground; tell them to catch that one!" Stone shouted back.

"Right!" the same voice said.

"Ivan, we've successfully eliminated the Queen and are working on the rest of them. We'll capture any the USCM leaves alive, but our best bet is that one carrying the egg." Stone said, looking into the camera.

"Ma'am, we've got it! Capture unit is on their way!"

"Good, put them in a cage and let's go back to the lab!"

The footage ended there, and the room went silent. In a moment, Irene Stone appeared on the large screen, smirking cruelly.

"Your name is Makoto now, isn't it? How do you like my home movies? You should; you're one of the stars, after all." Their enemy taunted.

Makoto didn't do anything, but stood quietly, as if in a daze.

"In case you two haven't figured it out yet, that was footage shot of the extermination of that one's former hive. I organized the entire thing; it wasn't hard to get the USCM to do the dirty work. We needed a Queen, you see; for our research, and that one was far too old, so we got her out of the way."

Makoto seemed to come out of his stupor, and looked back at the monitor.

"That's right, Makoto; I killed your mommy!"


	42. Chapter 42

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 43**

Before either Ko or Aiyoku could make a move, Makoto used his tail to destroy the monitor, making the screen go black. The Praetorian shrieked with rage, making the Yautja cover his ears, and even Aiyoku kept his comments to himself.

"That wasn't necessary, now was it?" Stone asked, sounding hurt.

Makoto screamed again, his fury issuing forth in almost tangible waves from his being. Ko had never seen a kiande amedha so angry; though he couldn't blame the creature for feeling so.

"That's right; I'm the one who organized the extermination campaign. We needed a Queen, you see, and since yours was too old, we decided to take a somewhat younger specimen. Unfortunately, the USCM are a bunch of trigger-happy imbeciles who can't tell a Praetorian from a Drone; so almost all of our potential research subjects were destroyed. As you know, in the absence of a true Queen, any Xenomorph can step in to fill the position; a Praetorian, however, is the best rank for the job, as they are already one step down from a Queen in the first place. It's really a fascinating thing; a guard becoming a Queen. The subject will change anatomically, genetically…they can even change genders! We hit the proverbial jackpot when we found you and your Queen, Makoto!" Stone said, to which Makoto quivered with rage.

"I'll take a wild guess and say that you were trying to take the egg far away to start a new hive, yes? Ha! Instead, you delivered your unborn Queen right into our hands…until Kurai came along, and you killed Ivan, that is. I've already told Kurai this; but I don't care so much that he's dead as for the information that died with him. That loss set my work back months…but now I'm all caught up, and I'm just _itching_ to show you the fruits of my labor! Actually, your friend Kurai has already met one of my little creations… There's nothing else for you down this way, so why don't you go see how she's faring? I daresay she'd like her friends there; she's…struggling with herself…at the moment!" the woman taunted, and ended the conversation.

"_**I think we should take her up on her advice and see how Kurai is doing."**_ Aiyoku said.

"I agree. Makoto…are you all right?" Ko asked, concerned for the Praetorian, who was still quivering, his claws digging into the tiled floor.

"_**How…dare…she…"**_ he said, his silvery teeth bared.

"_**Makoto, we have to go help Kurai now."**_ Aiyoku said, coming over to the other Xenomorph. He said nothing, but turned to leave with them.

"Will you be…?" Ko asked, not knowing what to say, if anything.

"_**I will be fine…once Stone is dead. I cannot…**_**will**_** not…be able to have peace again until I see her suffer as she's made us suffer…"**_ he replied.

"I understand." the Yautja said, and they began to walk.

"_**No, you don't understand; you could never understand."**_ Makoto said, after a few minutes.

"Perhaps not your situation, but I understand that you have been gravely wronged, and in doing so, Stone has wronged me as well; this is unacceptable. By my laws, I must see that someone like this does not go on to commit more of her depraved acts. She is as a Bad Blood, and I am bound by honor to kill such a person if I possibly can. I will help you in any way I am able with the task before you." Ko said firmly. During the time he'd known the Praetorian, the hunter had developed a sort of respect for him. He was bound by certain duties, just like a Yautja hunter; and Ko had to admit that he admired the other's skill in combat.

"_**Then I thank you. Now, let us go see if Kurai needs our help. We can offer moral support, if nothing else."**_ the Xenomorph said, and the three continued on.

Soon, they reached the main room from which their hallway split off, and went down the hallway that Kurai had gone down. Hers had been much shorter, with only one door at the end, which was open. As they drew nearer, they could hear something faint in the distance.

"What is that?" Aiyoku asked, inclining his head toward the sounds.

"I'd know that anywhere; it's the sound of a fight!" Ko said, and the three rushed into the room beyond. There, they saw a large pane of glass blocking the rest of the room, and someone unconscious tied up to a chair in the portion beyond.

"That's Taki!" Ko gasped, and looked for a way into the other room, but a sound from yet another room drew the group's attention.

"Fuck! What does it take?"

"_**It's Kurai's voice!"**_ Makoto said, and the males looked into the other room. This one was much larger than their current one, and had once been bright white, but was now spattered here and there with blood. Kurai was in the center of the room, using her fan to deflect blows from and slash at another person–a female, apparently. The oppeonent somehow managed to pin Kurai to the ground, and began trying to get a knife from a sheath on her leg. The three began to hurry to their friend's aid.

"Don't take another step!" Stone's voice snapped from the ceiling. This caused Kurai to look around, finally spotting her friends standing in the doorway.

"Guys!" she said, managing to get the other female off of her and punching her in the neck. The knife flew out of the enemy's hand and skittered across the bloodstained floor, finally clattering against the wall.

"If you three try to help her, I'll pump gas into that room back there and your friend will die!" Stone warned. The three snarled and hissed, but kept to their own room.

"What are you doing? Taki is only one room away!" Ko demanded, wondering why she was taking so long with this one enemy.

"I know he is! But I have to kill myself first!" she replied, and the three gasped. Ko was going to ask what his mate meant, but got his answer when Kurai managed to get the other female in a headlock.

"_What in Paya's name?"_ Ko yelled, upon seeing the foe's face. The female looked exactly like Kurai!

"She's a clone of me! I have to beat her or Taki's gonna die!"

"Then do it! You can't lose to that abomination! Fight her!" Ko shouted back.

"_**Tear her head off!"**_ Aiyoku roared.

Kurai and the clone continued to struggle, each trading blows that made the three males flinch on several occasions. At last, the clone began kicking hard at Kurai's head, which the human blocked time after time, taking a step back with each blow. Ko soon realized that his mate was being backed into a corner by the creature; a deadly situation. Kurai must have realized it as well, for she ducked the latest kick and aimed a low one of her own at her enemy's knees. The blow connected, sending the clone falling on her stomach to the ground.

Kurai didn't lose the opportunity, and pounced on her enemy's back, her fan at the ready. The clone rolled over just in time to meet with Kurai's fist, which apparently broke her jaw, but she didn't seem to notice, and attempted to struggle up from the floor. Kurai, on the other hand, had other plans. Holding her foe down, she raised her now-bloody fan and brought it down…onto the clone's neck.

Blood erupted from the wound like some nightmarish volcano, drenching everything in range. Kurai was covered in the red fluid, and got out of the way to avoid getting even more on her. Stone's creation twitched for a few minutes, before eventually succumbing to her wounds and lying still. Kurai stood up and went to join her friends.

Kurai panted as she wiped the blood from her face. No. 7 was one of the toughest opponents she'd ever faced. She'd had to use all of her combat skills just to survive the onslaught, and was now exhausted.

"Kurai! Are you all right?" Ko asked, rushing toward her, along with Makoto and Aiyoku.

"I'm fine…let's go get Taki." she replied, and looked around the room until she spotted the door that the clone had come out of. It had to lead to the other side of the divided room, and to her best friend.

"Right." the hunter nodded, and they hurried toward the door.

"You're not getting anything!" Stone's voice snapped from the ceiling.

"You said I could have him back if I killed your clone, and I did!" Kurai argued.

"And do you know how much time and effort I put into that thing? All the effort it took to get the genetic material? The hours of genetic manipulation? You're going to pay dearly for this, Blackwood… Then again, I may as well let you see him…it's not like it'll matter in a few minutes anyway." she muttered, and the door opened.

"_What does she mean by that?"_ Kurai wondered, but the sight of her friend jerked her out of her thoughts.

"Taki!" Kurai said, hurrying over to him and looking to see if he was all right. He was breathing, and aside from some bruises, seemed to be unharmed. As she looked him over, he moaned and began to regain consciousness.

"K-Kurai? Is that you?" he asked, opening his eyes a little and looking around.

"Yeah, I came to get you. Are you all right?" she asked, and began to check his head for any injuries that would have led to his unconsciousness.

"I'm okay, I guess… My head hurts…she gave me something…knocked me out cold…" he informed her.

"Well, we're going to take care of her, then we're going home." Kurai assured.

"I took out a few of her guards…" Taki muttered, trying to shake the sleep away.

"That's good… Ko, can you get him?" she asked, looking at the Yautja.

"Of course…" Ko replied, and carefully took Taki over one shoulder.

"How sweet… You should know, Kurai, that you aren't going to be taking your friend home. I only allowed you to see him one last time before I showed you the special surprise I've been working on just for you. If you'll step through the door on the other side of this room, I can unveil my latest work." Stone said, and a door opened up on the opposite wall.

"And why the hell should we do that?" the other human demanded.

"It's simple; the elevator you took down here is no longer there. The only other way out of here is through the door in front of you."

"Fine…" Kurai snapped. She had been planning on exiting via the elevator and setting the bomb before her enemy could realize it, but without the elevator, there was no guarantee that they could all get out before the device exploded. They would have to continue playing Stone's little game…at least for the moment.

They walked cautiously through the door and found themselves in another hallway. They were about to venture down this, when Makoto and Aiyoku suddenly stopped in their tracks and looked around, growing fidgety and agitated.

"What's wrong?" Ko asked, looking at the pair.

"_**It's that feeling again…but it's growing stronger…" **_Aiyoku explained.

"What feeling?" Kurai asked.

"_**It's hard to explain it…you would have to be one of us to truly understand."**_ Makoto replied.

"_**To put it simply…it feels as though…one of our own hive is nearby."**_ Aiyoku said.

"One of your own hive?" the human repeated.

"How is that possible?" Ko asked, hoisting Taki so that he didn't fall.

"Well, Ivan Stone did have Makoto and Shisome…it's not an impossibility that they had someone else from their hive." Kurai said thoughtfully.

"_**You don't know the half of it. Irene Stone is the one who had my home destroyed in the first place."**_ Makoto said.

"You're not serious?" Kurai said.

"_**I'd never make light of something like this. She destroyed my hive so that she could have me and Shisome as test subjects."**_ The Praetorian explained.

"It's true; she showed us footage that she took herself." Ko added.

"She's one sick fuck…" Kurai said quietly.

"I don't see you walking! Hurry up, or you'll make me very angry…and you don't want that." Stone chided.

"Up yours, bitch!" Kurai shouted back, but they began heading down the hallway.

At last, they reached another portion of the laboratory; this one a large, darkened room with nothing in it…or so it seemed.

"So glad you could make it…this is the moment I've been waiting for ever since I saw the security footage of the night Ivan was killed!"

"What do you want now?" Kurai demanded.

"I want to announce…that you're all about to die…but first, I want to show you how!" Stone said loudly, and the lights came on in the room.

The group blinked in the light–those who had eyes, anyway–before looking around. This was yet another room divided by a partition; this one was a series of large pieces of canvas cloth, but there was nothing else to see at the moment. The walls were blank except for a couple of air vents, and the floors were the same gleaming white tiles as the rest of the lab.

"I'd like to direct your attention to the large cloths in the middle of the room." With this, some sort of unseen mechanism caused the fabric to fall to the floor. The cloths had been covering another large pane of glass that separated the halves of the room, but this one had several small windows in it, along with a steel door at one end of the room. On the other side, the lights were very dim, and the group could just make what was beyond.

There didn't seem to be much; just what looked like a few large glass tanks with what seemed to be computer consoles at their bases. Though the light was low, Kurai could make out what appeared to be shapes floating in the tanks…and she had a feeling that they weren't fish. There also appeared to be a door in the back of the room, but Kurai could have been mistaken about this.

"Welcome, guests, to the last place you'll ever see." came Stone's voice. In a moment, a figure appeared from the shadows of the room. The shape drew closer and closer, until they could make out that it was Irene Stone herself.

"What now?" Kurai asked, taking a fighting stance. The Xenomorphs did the same, hissing and growling more fiercely than the human had ever heard.

"Now I unveil my surprise, of course!" the other woman said. She was dressed in white pants and a blue shirt, over which was a white lab coat. She was standing just a couple of feet away from one of the small windows, even though her enemies were poised to attack on the other side.

"How about I come through that window and unveil me tearing you in half for taking Taki?" Kurai snarled. At this, Makoto rushed past her and threw himself against the glass, clawing and screaming like some beast from Hell.

"I'd love to see you try it; this glass is military-grade stuff. Unless you've got a tank, you're not getting through it. But come now; I brought you all the way here to see something, and it would make me such a bad hostess if I didn't do so." she replied, over the Praetorian's screams.

"And you've been _so_ gracious…" Kurai said, rolling her eyes behind her mask. Makoto grudgingly removed himself from the glass and went to stand beside Kurai.

"I have been, actually. I could have killed your friend weeks ago, but I chose to keep him alive so that you could see him one more time. I even relieved him of his armor so that he wouldn't be uncomfortable during his stay here. It's really quite interesting. Once I finish with you, I'll take yours, too, and begin studying it. I'm getting off subject… Now then, I've brought you here to see something that has taken me a very long time to perfect…something that I couldn't have completed without your help."

"And what is that?"

"Be patient and I'll show you…" Stone said, and went over to one wall, where she apparently turned on a light switch, which illuminated the rest of the room.

The tanks could clearly be seen now; and there were indeed figures floating in them. There were two, to be exact, and one seemed to be a bit bigger than the other. Any other details were marred by the fact that the creatures were suspended in some sort of blue-ish fluid.

"Surprise!"

"More clones of me?" Kurai asked, feeling somewhat unimpressed.

"Not quite, Kurai Blackwood…not quite. These creatures are, as I said before, the fruit of years of research. They are the brainchildren of Ivan and myself, and the reason for this lab and all the other work we've done. They are a triumph of science over nature; the next step in evolution! Cloning is a simple task; making a copy of a human or animal is child's play for any real scientist…but these specimens behind me are no mere clones…they are something–_relatively_–new to the world."

"Get on with it and stop bragging!" Kurai urged, beginning to become tired of the woman's prattling.

"Very well. Since there's no way that you could ever understand the complexity of these beings, I will lay it out for you plainly. These creatures are indeed clones…but they aren't exactly _human_."

"What do you mean by that?"

"They aren't completely human…they're hybrids…they're human and Xenomorph hybrids."


	43. Chapter 43

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 43**

"Hybrids?" Kurai thought, staring past a smirking Stone at the two occupied tanks.

"I can see your confusion; allow me to explain." she said.

"Yes, enlighten us." Kurai said flatly.

"Well, it's a fairly simple process, really. You see, Ivan and I came up with the idea after reading something about a woman who was–and presumably still _is_–a human/Xenomorph hybrid. The data came from a military vessel called the USM _Auriga_, onboard which scientists working for the military endeavored to clone a Xenomorph Queen for biological weapons research. They used samples from a woman named Ellen Ripley, who had, according to reports, encountered the creatures several times before she died."

"Before she died?" Kurai asked.

"Yes. The original Ellen Ripley died some time ago…at least three hundred years. She killed herself after being impregnated by a Xenomorph Queen. The researchers used samples of her biological material to create a clone in the hopes that it, too, would provide a Queen. It took several attempts, but the experiment was an initial success; however, the cloning process created a hybrid of Ripley and the unborn Queen. The best way to explain this is to say that their DNA got "fused" together during the cloning process… Sometime after, the ship self-destructed, and the records end there. Ivan came across them while employed by the military, and wanted to see if such an event could be duplicated…but improved. The Ripley clone's creation was an accident; it was an unanticipated side effect of an attempt at something else; our intention was to create a viable hybrid intentionally."

"But why? Why the Hell would you create something like that? What's the point?" Kurai demanded. The more the woman talked, the more insane she sounded…

"Why? Why not? We had money, resources, ambition, and follow-through! The military has been hoping for a way to utilize the Xenomorphs' "talents" for combat purposes ever since their discovery… With such a fighting force, any war could be won with relative ease! We wanted to be the first in an untapped market of superweapons! You see, the only problem with the Xenomorphs is that they have an annoying allegiance to their Queens. They cannot and will not be trained like ordinary animals. It's not their fault; it's not even free will…but it is a nasty habit that we've never been able to break them of. In there lies the brilliance of my brother's and my plan; a creature with the cunning and tenacity of a Xenomorph, but the appearance and controllability of a human. If we could create soldiers with absolute loyalty to their superiors–no cowardice, no laziness, no demands for better pay–then we would be the most celebrated scientists in history! Unfortunately, our ideas were shot down by the cowards in the high positions. They said that the research was unethical…inhumane… The fools!"

"So you went ahead with it anyway?" Kurai guessed, and Makoto and Aiyoku snarled.

"Of course! We couldn't let a little thing like ethics stop us! We organized the extermination of this one's" she gestured to Makoto "hive, and found ourselves with nothing less than a Queen and her guard! It was all going perfectly…until you came along and almost ruined everything!" she said, pointing accusingly at Kurai.

"I'm _soooo_ sorry." the other human said, smiling wickedly.

"Well, my brother's death was a snag in my plan; but I wasn't about to let it stop me! After his death, I sent Meisai into your family's Shadow organization to gather any and all information that I could on you. Through her, I found where you'd tucked your friends away on Pluvia. My experiments required a Queen, so I followed you there. Since I was in no position to actually capture any specimens, I settled for a bit of startup material instead."

"Yeah…you took a piece of one of Shisome's spines with you…" Kurai said thoughtfully. She'd always wondered why Stone hadn't just killed the Queen outright.

"Indeed; and from that I was able to get the basis for my masterpieces."

"Wait a minute; how did you create _them_ that piece of chitin?" Kurai asked.

"I was getting to that. I also needed human DNA, and you were a perfect candidate. It was easy to obtain your genetic material; you left it all over your house back on Earth. There were a couple of…complications, however…"

"Such as?"

"Well, only one of these was created from _your_ DNA."

"And the other?"

"From your friend, Taki."

Everyone let out gasps of surprise and looked at Taki, then back to their enemy.

"It was an unforeseen error, but trivial nonetheless. They are both perfect clones, genetically, anyway…"

"But how is it possible that you created those things? You said that that Ripley woman's clone was an accidental fusing of DNA!" Kurai retorted.

"Hers was; but these were created by a method similar to that used in fertility treatments. To begin with, one needs an artificial embryo; they are easy and cheap to grow. The complicated part is combining the Xenomorph and human material in such a way as to produce a viable product. Luckily, Xenomorphs are genetically inclined to bond their genetic material with that of their host. As you well know, the first stage of the growth cycle is parasitic, but I managed to create a symbiotic bond between the two species' DNA! All that was left was to mature the specimens in an artificial environment until they were physically and mentally ready to leave the chambers. Unlike your clone, Kurai, these are fully capable of free thought and action. They've been given as much education as any college professor, and as much combat knowledge as any army general in the world!"

"So what now? What do you intend to do with them?"

"First, I plan to have them kill the five of you; then I'll go to Pluvia and capture the Queen there. After that, I plan create more of these hybrids and hold a little auction. There are quite a few shadow governments that would love to empty out their pockets for even one of my creations! I'll have all the prestige I can handle, and my own private army to boot!"

"Oh, you think so? I dare you to take them out of their little fish tanks; I'm still psyched up from taking out your clone!"

"Ha! These aren't like that useless thing; they're stronger than any normal human, and they'll only obey me! The door out of here is behind me; you're welcome to try to get through this glass and get to it…if you can get by my pets, that is!"

"It's two against four, Stone! I don't give a fuck how much time and effort you put into teaching those things how to fight; we'll take 'em down just like we did the rest of your guys…then we're coming for you! I hope you'll like seeing your brother in Hell!" Kurai said, raising her fans, which were sticky with clotted blood.

"NO! YOU CAN'T DEFEAT MY CREATIONS! THEY'RE PERFECT!" Stone screamed, a mad look in her eyes. Running over to one of the tanks, she grabbed a nearby chair and brought it crashing up to the glass. The tank shattered, spilling all the green fluid onto the floor. The creature within spilled out onto the floor as well, where it lay sprawled out and motionless. From her vantage point, Kurai could just make out a mass of pale-looking hair flowing from the hybrid's head, and what seemed to be pale arms and legs, but nothing clearer than that.

"They don't look very threatening right now!" Kurai shot back.

"You'll see! Every one of you will die today! You'll pay for killing my brother and setting my research back so long! Everything I've done has led to this moment!"

"You're fucking demented, Stone! There's no way you're stopping us from leaving here! Face it; we won, and as soon as I get through that door in this glass, I'm coming after you. You're going to regret ever hearing my name!" Kurai threatened. She noticed that something seemed to be moving behind Stone; like the hybrid was picking itself up off the floor, but the light was too dim to really be sure.

"Ha ha ha ha! These creatures WILL kill all of you without the slightest hesitation! I am responsible for their creation…I am their maker, their Queen, their mother! I'm–UGH!" she grunted, stopping midsentence. The reason for the interruption soon became clear.

The hybrid whose tank Stone had broken had managed to pick itself up off the floor and make its way over to stand behind its creator. It had then proceeded to grab the woman by the hair and pull her head back, yanking her to her knees in the process.

"You're not my mother…" the creature hissed, and brought a piece of broken glass down across Stone's throat.


	44. Chapter 44

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Sorry for the delay!**

**Chapter 44**

"What…is…?" Stone gurgled, blood spilling down her front and dripping onto the floor. The wound had not been especially deep, but it was enough to end the group's enemy.

The woman sputtered, more blood oozing from her mouth as she coughed. The hybrid, seeing that her victim wasn't going to put up a struggle, let her fall to the floor, where she lay, sprawled out facedown, a crimson pool forming around her.

Somehow, Irene Stone managed to look up at her creation, who was still hidden in the shadows. Though the woman was dying, she gave a rather sinister smile.

"Perfect… A…masterpiece…" she croaked, before going still.

The hybrid looked down at its creator again and shrugged, before stepping over the corpse and into the light.

Without a second thought, the hybrid used the piece of bloodied glass to slice her own hand, then squeezed until her blood began to drip onto the floor. Tiny holes were instantly eroded in the floor where the liquid fell, and small wisps of smoke rose into the air. Raising her bleeding hand, the creature knelt on the ground and began to apply her blood to the glass, melting the only thing dividing her and the rest of the group. At last, she had managed to make an opening large enough for her to go through, and let the un-melted portion of glass fall to the floor, where it split into several large pieces. Brushing her hair out of her face, the stranger crossed the threshold of the useless barrier to stand before Kurai's group. As the creature drew nearer, the group got a better look at…her.

The being that stood before them was about five feet tall, give or take an inch. She was a bit thin, and was a very pale creature; almost ghostly white, and with matching hair that flowed down to her knees. Her face was the mirror image of what Kurai's had been at that age; proving that she was indeed a clone, but her eyes were a light grey color. All in all, she gave the appearance of a pale…nude…teenaged girl.

"Uh, hey…" Kurai said, her mind still trying to process what had just happened.

The hybrid regarded the human for a moment, before going to join the two Xenomorphs in the room.

"You're like me…" she said quietly, in the same voice that Kurai had once had. Makoto looked at the girl in confusion, and Aiyoku cocked his head curiously.

"_**How so?"**_ Aiyoku asked.

"We have the same Queen."

"_**Indeed we do."**_ Makoto agreed.

"But she isn't here now…"

"_**No, she is far away."**_

"But you are here… Why?" her voice had become stern, and a bit cold.

"_**To help Kurai."**_ The Praetorian explained, gesturing with his head at the human, who was feeling a little uncomfortable being left out of the conversation.

"Why should we help her? What is she here to do?"

"_**To destroy the one who attacked our home and Queen."**_ Aiyoku replied.

"Then this Kurai is a friend to our Queen?"

"_**She is valued above all others outside our hive."**_

"And we can trust her?"

"_**With our lives."**_ Makoto confirmed, and the pale-skinned girl turned to look at Kurai again, then at Ko and Taki.

"And them?"

"_**Again, yes. All three of them helped our Queen many times."**_

"Hmm… All right then!" the girl said, with a much more cheerful tone, and hurried over to Kurai, Ko and Taki.

"Hello!" she said brightly.

"Uh, hi…" Kurai said again, unsure of what to make of this stranger.

"He said there's some enemy around here…but I don't see anybody. Where are they?"

"In Hell, if there's any justice in the world…" Taki muttered from behind Ko's back.

"What?" the girl asked, trying to look around the Yautja's back at the human.

"Nothing… Actually…you already…kind of…killed the, uh, enemy…" Kurai said quietly, scratching her head. She had been looking forward to fighting Stone herself, and knew that Makoto and Aiyoku wanted a piece as well. This new development seemed a bit unfair…if now somewhat easier.

"Oh?" the hybrid said, and looked over at Stone's corpse on the ground, which was oozing blood everywhere.

"Oh! Ah, I wanted to play awhile longer… Oh well; now we can go and see my mother, right?"

"Well, yeah, I guess… There's nothing else for us to do… But put this on first." Kurai said, picking up one of the canvas cloths and draping it over the girl. She hadn't even seemed to notice her own nudity, a fact that had the older woman slightly worried…

"Yays! Ooh, but we've got to get the other one of us out of here, too!" the younger of the two said, tying the cloth over one shoulder.

She gestured to the unbroken tank, where the second hybrid still floated.

"There's no way we're taking that thing with us." Ko spoke up, making everyone look at him.

"What do you mean?" the girl demanded.

"I mean, child, that both you and that one over there are the unnatural creations of a twisted mind. We cannot take you with us."

"Ko, we're taking them; both of them." Kurai said.

"But Kurai–" the Yautja began.

"No buts, Ko! We're not leaving them here. We're going to take them back to Pluvia to be with their hive. It's where they belong…and the only place they'd be happy."

"Yeah!" the hybrid said, giving Ko a dirty look. The hunter sighed, defeated, and looked at the human woman.

"I'm not carrying another person." he said.

"_**I'll do it, if the other needs it."**_ Aiyoku volunteered.

"How generous of you, Aiyoku." Makoto commented.

"_**Not really; the other one might be a female in need."**_ the other male said, grinning.

Kurai rolled her eyes and stepped through the hole made by the acidic blood, being careful to step over Stone's body. The group made its way toward the unbroken tank, and began looking for a way to free the other hybrid.

"I think this is it." Kurai said, looking at a large red button on the tank's console.

"Go ahead and press it then." Ko said.

Kurai did, and a hissing sound emanated from the large tube. Slowly, the fluid began to drain through the container's bottom, letting the form sink to the floor of the tank. Without the liquid obscuring their view, everyone could clearly see the newest hybrid.

This one appeared to be a male, about the same age as Kurai and Taki. He too was a pale being, with long hair like the female's. He was now curled in the bottom of his tank, seemingly asleep. Another hissing sound began, and the glass tube separated from the bottom, allowing the creature inside his freedom.

"Hello… Hello… Sleep time is over…" the younger hybrid said, tapping the male on the shoulder. He seemed to mutter something and tried to shoo her away.

"WAKE UP, BAKA!" she shouted, startling Kurai

With this, the pale female jumped up and roughly pushed the male out of the tube, where he landed with a thud and sat up, looking around at his attacker.

"What is it?" he asked, in a voice similar to Taki's.

"Come on, _baka_; we're going to see our mother!"

"Fine…fine…" the male muttered, and yawned widely before getting to his feet.

"Oh…" everyone said, covering their eyes.

"Please, for the love of decency, cover yourself!" Ko said, and the female hybrid rushed over to get another piece of the canvas cloth for him.

"Yup, that's my clone!" Taki said, smirking.

"I'm your clone?" the creature asked, coming over to look at the human.

"Absolutely! You're too handsome to be anyone else's!" Taki replied, giving the other male a grin and a thumbs-up.

"Hey, we can talk about this a lot more on the ship." Kurai said, gesturing to the door behind them.

"Good idea. Let's get the fuck out of this creepy place." Taki agreed.

"Right. Everyone get your shit and get moving; we're blowing this place straight to Hell." Kurai said.

The hybrid quickly tied the cloth around his waist and the group began to run toward the door. On the way, something on a table caught Kurai's eye.

"Taki, it's your armor!" she pointed out.

"Good. Ko, put me down and let me put it on; if you're going to do what I think you're going to do, you'll need my bomb too." Taki said, and was subsequently lowered to the floor, where he quickly proceeded to put the armor on.

"Now, let's activate the explosives." Ko said, flipping up the screen on his wrist computer.

"Are you cracked? We've got no idea how long it'll take us to get out of this place! When we're sure we're far enough away, we'll use a remote detonator." Kurai said, grabbing the hunter's arm.

"That's…a better idea." he admitted sheepishly.

"Until then, we can leave these here; this place is probably the heart of the whole lab, so there's a good chance everything will go up." Taki suggested. The three left their bombs on the table, and the group began jogging out of the other door and down the corridor leading out of the room.


	45. Chapter 45

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**Chapter 45**

"Come on; we have to get out of here so we can destroy this evil place." Ko urged, as the group rushed through a seemingly endless series of similar-looking corridors.

"We're hurrying, Ko! Believe me, we all want out of this place as much as you do." Kurai snapped, as they rounded another corner and found themselves in what had to be the fifteenth small computer room.

"Hey, I just thought of something; what if Stone has more hybrids like these two?" Taki suggested, taking a brief rest.

"_**No; I do not think that she created any more. I sense nothing of any more like us."**_ Makoto said, looking around.

"_**I don't either."**_ Aiyoku confirmed.

"So the strange feelings you guys were getting were them?" Kurai asked, nodding to the two newest members of their group.

"_**Yes. I thought that I sensed more of our hive, but the feelings were different from when two-forgive me-normal members meet."**_ the Praetorian replied, as they began running again.

They passed a computer room, where something caught Kurai's attention.

"What in the name of Paya are you doing?" the Yautja asked, as the human quickly entered.

"Look at this; it looks like some sort of layout of the place. It's like Stone was doing some construction recently or something." the human said, looking at what seemed to be a layout of the complex on a huge monitor on the wall.

"Hey, looks like there's an elevator up ahead…this is only for the lab, though, so I can't say where it'll lead." Taki said, looking at the large computer screen.

"I think that this might be the central control room. It could be the place Stone was watching us from…see?" Kurai asked, pointing to several large camera monitors. One showed the front entrance, with the dead guards, another showed the room with Kurai's dead clone, and another showed Stone's own corpse.

A sudden thought struck Kurai, and she quickly took out her data pad and managed to plug it into a nearby computer terminal.

"What now?" Ko asked impatiently.

"I'm going to download all the stuff on Stone's computer onto here and give it to Ichi. He should be able to figure out if Stone's been doing anything else that we need to know about." she replied, and began the process.

It took about five minutes, but eventually, everything that was on the computer was in Kurai's data pad.

"You know, there wasn't even any security on that thing…no codes, no passwords, no encryptions, nothing…" she observed.

"She probably didn't think anyone would find this place…or that they'd get this far into the labs if she did." Makoto said.

"Egomaniacal bitch." Kurai said harshly, putting the device back in her pocket.

"Now can we go?" Ko asked.

"Yeah, right…let's move." the human agreed, and they took off down the hall again.

"I just thought of something else." Ko said, sounding grim.

"What is it?" Kurai asked.

"What if the exit-if there is one-leads us out onto this moon's surface? We all have masks; but the kiande amedha and the hybrids do not."

"Shit!" Kurai cursed.

"We'll have to hope for the best." Taki said determinedly.

They continued running for about five more minutes, until they spied a welcoming sight.

"It's an elevator." Taki observed, as they looked at the device.

"It might go up to the mansion above." Ko said thoughtfully.

"Or it might lead to a hundred more of Stone's lackeys." Kurai muttered.

"_**Either way, it appears to be the only way out of here. We'll just have to kill any that try to stop us from leaving."**_ Aiyoku declared, and boarded the elevator.

"Sounds fun." the young female said, smiling in a somewhat sadistic fashion, before joining the other Xenomorph.

The rest of them followed, and pressed the button for the top floor of wherever the lift would take them. At last, they reached their destination; a room in what must have been the mansion. There were crates upon crates there, and the room looked as though it were made of plain grey cement, and there was a staircase leading up.

"Looks like a basement." Taki observed.

"At least it looks like we're out of that lab. Come on; we can find our way out of this place a lot easier now." Kurai replied, and the group headed up the stairs.

They found that they were indeed in the mansion; in a large kitchen, to be exact.

"Why would Stone make that device lead here?" Ko asked.

"My guess is to keep it hidden. No one would suspect a basement entrance to an underground laboratory." Kurai said, as they left the room.

"_**Finally!"**_ Makoto exclaimed, as they saw a few of the guards they'd previously dealt with on the floor.

"_**The way out of here."**_ Aiyoku said, seeming to heave a sigh of relief.

They began running toward the exit, stepping over the dead guards along the way. The door was ahead, and their freedom as well. Just before they reached the door, Kurai stopped cold.

"Let's get this over with." she called to Ko and Taki, who quickly turned to join her.

"How long?" Ko asked, flipping up the screen of his computer. Taki did likewise and looked at his friend.

"How does five minutes sound?"

"We should be able to get away in that time." the Yautja agreed, and they set their bombs with the remote detonators.

"Now, I suggest that we HALL ASS!" Kurai yelled, beginning to run toward the door again.

"You will have to hold your breaths for a minute outside!" the human advised the hybrids.

"Not a problem!" the female called back, as they burst through the doors.

"Adelicia, this is Kurai; when you see us coming, open the doors! This place is going to light like a fucking candle in less than five minutes!" Kurai yelled to the human on the ship over her mask's com.

All of them put on more speed as they rushed across the front yard and toward the airlock's door. Pushing open the door, Kurai heard the hybrids taking in deep breaths, and then they were out on the planet's surface. The ship was in sight, and as they drew closer, the ramp began to lower for them.

"_Keep running!"_ she thought, as her foot touched down on the ramp.

There was the sound of pounding feet on metal, as seven people rushed up the ramp and practically threw themselves into the interior of the ship, with the doors closing behind them. The Xenomorphs and hybrids let out their breaths, and Taki rolled over onto his back in relief. Jumping up, Kurai rushed to the cockpit and threw herself into the seat to begin launch proceedings.

"_**What is that? What is it I'm feeling?"**_ Lee asked, looking all around. She was obviously sensing the hybrids.

"Long story, no time to talk!" Kurai replied, as the engines hummed to life. Looking at her wrist computer, the woman could see that they had about three minutes to get away.

"Yes!" she hissed, as the ship lifted off the ground.

"Hold on to something!" she called back, and everyone grabbed the nearest thing that was bolted down.

The ship took off at top speed into the air, rising above the mansion's roof in less than five seconds flat. The surrounding rock of the surface was scorched black by the flames from takeoff, and there was an ever-so-slight vapor trail in the air as the blue flames propelled the craft higher and higher.

"Entering orbit." the ship told them, after a minute. They were safe from the explosion, and could now relax a little.

"Holy shit!" Taki exclaimed, looking down at the surface via one of the outside cameras.

They all looked at the screen along with Taki and saw that what had once been the mansion was now an enormous mushroom cloud bigger than ten city blocks.

"Fucking A…" Ko said quietly.

"I guess…that's what three of those things will do…" Kurai agreed.

"So then…this is over? No more traps, no more kidnappings, no more Stone?" Adelicia asked.

"Believe me, she's gone now…" Kurai said, looking at the female hybrid, who was sitting back in one of the seats. The male was quietly snoozing in another seat, apparently unaware of the rest of the world. Adelicia then noticed the two beings for the first time.

"Oh, who are they?" she asked Kurai.

"It's a _long_-ass story, trust me."

"You…are…so…ADORABLE!" she exclaimed, rushing over to the girl, who had no time to react before she was cornered and subjected to the human's fullest attentions.

"Make it stop, please?" the girl asked, looking helplessly at Kurai, who gave her a "better you than me" look.

"What now?" Taki asked, poking his clone with a finger. The hybrid didn't even stir.

"Well, now I guess we're going to take these two," she said, gesturing to her clone, who was having her hair plaited by Adelicia, much to her vexation, "back to Pluvia. After that, I suppose it's back to the Silver Crescent Clan for us. Crap, it'll be good for things to get back to normal!" his friend replied, sitting back and putting her arms behind her head.

"As normal as they get with us, anyway…" Ko said, sinking back into another seat and laying his mask aside.

"Now I think I'm going to get out of this armor and get some rest." the dark-haired human said, rising.

"And I'm going to get something to eat; I swear I could count on my fingers the number of times that woman fed me…" Taki said, getting up as well.

The two exited the room together, as the kitchen wasn't too far away from Kurai's room.

"I really missed you." the woman said, as they walked.

"Same here."

"I'm sorry…"

"For what?"

"For this whole thing; for letting you get caught in the first place, for not coming sooner…"

"But you did come. You crossed the galaxy and fought a lunatic just to save me. That's real friendship, you know."

"Real friendship is not letting your friends get kidnapped by psychopaths to begin with. Can you forgive me, Taki?"

"We've been friends forever, Kurai; I knew you'd come to bail me out. That's what's so awesome about you; you never leave a man behind. I'm just pissed that I couldn't have escaped and taught that bitch a lesson before then!"

"At least you're home now, and Stone won't be bothering us anymore." Kurai said, as they both entered the kitchen. Taki took a glass and filled it with some fruit juice.

"I'll drink to that."

"And now we go home to the Silver Crescent Clan and try to put this whole thing behind us."

"Too bad; it'd make a kick-ass story." the human said, taking a drink of his juice.

"Don't even worry about it; we'll be telling it to Ne'Renh. I have a deal with him concerning some shit that happened on the clan ship."

"I'm not even going to ask." Taki smiled, rolling his eyes and taking another drink.

"It's better that way. The problem is; we've got to explain why we didn't come home with any trophies this time, either. Though I suppose we can pick something up on Pluvia. One of those cats that got me should impress them enough to get them off our backs."

"Ah, deception!"

"So, do you need anything? I can make you something, if you want." Adelicia asked, poking her head in the door. The female hybrid stalked by a moment later, her hair in two long braids down her back and an exasperated look on her face.

"No, I'm good for now. I'm more tired than hungry at the moment; but thanks for asking." Taki replied.

"I'm glad to see that you're all right. The others filled me in on what happened in the mansion." the brunette said.

"Worst month of my fucking life." the man muttered, setting his glass in the sink.

"In any case, I'm glad that you're safe. Momo has contacted me several times over the past few weeks; she's very worried about you. I'll tell her you're all right the next time she calls."

"Thanks; I'd do it myself, but I'm so tired right now. I've been pretty much confined to a jail cell with nothing but a toilet and pallet for the past month; it'll be so good to have a bath and get some sleep. Taki replied.

"Then you'd better go. You look like you could really use it." Kurai said.

"Right." the blonde man nodded, and excused himself from the room.

"It'll be so nice to relax now." Adelicia said, as Kurai sat down at the small table in the kitchen.

"I agree. Are you prepared to go back to Pluvia? I mean, after all this… It's not something you just forget."

"I wish I could forget…or better yet; that none of this ever happened… I suppose that we'll have to live with it, though. I guess this will make us all stronger people in the long run…" the brunette said cheerfully.

"I guess so… Hey, I'm going to bed for awhile." Kurai said, and rose from the table.

"Good night then; I'll tell the others not to disturb you. Actually, everyone's settling in for awhile. I'm off as soon as I'm done in here." Adelicia said.

"Thanks… And thanks for coming along. You've really been a real help." the other woman said, as she was exiting the room.

"Oh! Well, I didn't really do much…"

"You did more than enough. Makoto's lucky to have you…and stuff. Sorry, I'm not good at this… Uhm…night." Kurai said, and quickly exited the room.

"_And stuff?"_ her mind scoffed, as she took a quick bath and changed into her sleeping clothes.

"_To hell with it!"_ she told herself, as her head hit the pillow and she began to drift off.

_Some time later…_

Kurai woke up feeling a lot better than she previously had. Yawning, she changed into a pair of black jeans and tank top and journeyed out of her room to see if anyone else was awake yet. As she waked down the hall of the ship, she could hear voices-numerous ones-and went to investigate.

Every single member of their little group was sitting around the cockpit; on the floor, in the seats, and-in Lee's case-hanging from the ceiling. The female hybrid was sitting beside Adelicia, looking around as she described the proper way to clean something or other, the male was sitting in a chair with head in hand, apparently about to fall asleep again, Makoto, Aiyoku and Ko were all discussing something related to combat, while Taki mediated an argument between the three. Lee was hanging over them, hissing quietly in laughter at something one of them said.

"It doesn't get any better than this." Kurai thought, as she watched her friends.

"Hey, Kurai; tell Ko about when you won the Intercontinental Women's Martial Arts Tournament a few years ago. Remember? You had to go up against that champion from Osaka?" Taki said, bringing the woman over to the group.

"Well, I hate to bring up old stuff, Taki…but here's how it went…" she said, and recounted the story to her friends.

"Excuse me, everyone; dinner's ready!" Adelicia called, and everyone hurried to the kitchen.

Somehow, all of them managed to fit into the small room-with Lee again on the ceiling-and get something to eat. After this, they went back to the cockpit, where Momo and Jim were with Shisome on the computer, waiting to join the festivities as best they could from that far away. Kurai greeted them when she entered the room.

"Hey, you guys! Chill for a minute; I've got something to say!" Kurai called, before anyone took a bite.

"Look, I should have said this when we got on the ship; but here it is…thanks."

Everyone looked to the human as she began a sort of impromptu speech.

"Look, we've been through a lot of crap together. We've tangled with lunatics, traitors...you name it. Every single one of us has our story to tell, and somehow, we've managed to find each other. I…er…just wanted to thank all of you for helping with Taki's rescue and Stone's defeat. I couldn't have done any of it without you. I don't say this much…and don't think I'm…you know…overly-sensitive or any crap like that…but you guys are my best friends. We've done it all; we've gone into the madness and come out alive, for God's sake! Now let's freakin' party!" she concluded.

"Hells yeah!" the young female hybrid cheered, raising the glass she was holding.

"Emma!" Adelicia scolded, looking shocked.

"You named her Emma?" Kurai asked, looking at the girl.

"I had to call her something…and I've always liked that name." Adelicia said quietly.

"And I named mine Ikatsui." Taki said.

"Nyeh, the names work for them." Kurai said, looking at the pair.

"Kurai, is that my mother?" the newly-dubbed Emma asked, looking at Shisome behind Jim and Momo.

"Yep." the human replied, waving at the Queen over her Emma's shoulder.

"Wow I can't wait to get to my new home!" the girl said happily.

"_**Our Queen will be pleased to have you there."**_ Makoto said.

"_**Wonder what she's been up to since we left…"**_ Aiyoku thought out loud.

"We'll find out soon enough; I've set the coordinates for Pluvia; we should be there in the next three weeks." Kurai said, messing with the computer.

"Then we can go on some hunts; I need some new trophies for my collection!" Ko said, puffing out his chest.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Kurai asked, grinning as she put the ship into top speed.

As the craft sped through the starry expanse of space, everyone onboard celebrated their victory over their enemy; and their optimism about the road ahead…

**End?**

**All right; I want to do something different for the next few chapters, and I need your help!**

**Since I'm kind of OCD about having fifty chapters in a story, the next few are going to be a sort of Q&A session about the story and its characters. You can ask me anything pertaining to the series, and any number of questions you want. I'll answer the questions and put them up as the next few chapters, and any that come in after I write the chapters I'll try to answer privately. Just PM me if you have things you want to know about the series! It's been a real honor and pleasure writing, and I'm hoping for a lot of responses to this chapter!**


	46. Chapter 46

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**This was going to be the Q&A chapter, but one of the reviewers had a good point, so I decided to go ahead and wrap things up.**

**Chapter 46**

**Epilogue**

"Oh, damn!" Ko suddenly burst out, making the two humans jump.

They had recently dropped Makoto, Adelicia, Lee, Aiyoku, and the two hybrids, Emma and Ikatsui, off on Pluvia, and had begun the journey back the Silver Crescent Clan. It had been two weeks since Stone had been defeated, and since then, things had calmed down considerably. Taki's injuries had healed very well, but he still had the occasional nightmare about his captivity, but they were getting fewer and farther between.

Kurai had been a bit nervous to tell her grandfather exactly how Stone had died; but was pleasantly surprised when the older man had laughed at the tale.

"She's your clone after all, Kurai; a Yamamoto is a Yamamoto!" he'd said, to her relief. Still, the fact that it had been Emma to kill Stone and not her bothered Kurai to some degree. It had been _her_ friend who'd been captured, _her_ family who had been put in danger, and _her_ honor which had been insulted…

"_Let it go; there's not a damn thing you could have done then or can do now."_ she told herself sternly.

The hybrids' first meeting with their Queen had gone far better than anyone could have expected. Shisome had been a little apprehensive at first; but a flying hug from Emma had done away with any doubts the larger female might have had. The two seemed to fit perfectly into their new home; they were, after all, Xenomorphs in human form. Kurai had given a copy of Stone's computer files to Jim, and was intending to give another one to Ichi once they were sure it was safe. With any luck, there would be no more weirdness concerning Stone and her science projects in the future.

Now they were only a couple of days away from their destination. The clan ship was already showing up on _The Unrelenting'_s radars, and the three were already preparing the story they'd tell Ne'Renh.

"What's up?" Taki asked, wiping off some of the tea he'd spilled on his shirt because of the Yautja's outburst.

"I just remembered… The computers on the mothership…they are notified if and when any wrist bomb is detonated!"

"So?" Kurai asked.

"So… We detonated three of them at the same time! One is cause for some concern, two is suspicious, and three is unheard of! In all logic, we should all be dead! What are we going to tell the Elder?"

"One hell of a lie." Taki stated.

"I agree; we're going to have to get our story straight for Elder Yeyinde if we want to smooth this thing over… We could tell him an abridged version of what happened." the woman suggested.

"That might work… Okay, how about this; a crazy woman kidnapped me, and you came to save me, and we blew her up to keep her from coming after us again." Taki offered.

"I don't like lying to Elder Yeyinde." Ko said, looking at the knife he'd been polishing.

"Neither do I, but do you want him finding out what we've been doing these past few months? Believe me, a white lie is better than the truth. Anyway, we won't exactly be lying to him; just leaving out the details." Kurai said.

"Namely the Xenomorphs and hybrids." Taki said.

"Right… So, he'll probably want more details than that, so let's see…" the other human began.

"Stone dishonored you by taking your friend." Ko said, after a minute.

"Ooh! And she dishonored the clan by taking me, too! She didn't follow the rules and confront you directly, instead using cowardly tactics to get to you!" Taki chimed in.

"I thought that Yautja could use live bait when hunting?" Kurai asked Ko.

"We can; but Stone wasn't hunting. She was a lunatic with a personal grudge, so killing her was acceptable.

"She threatened my family and brought harm to my friends; I believe the Yautja honor code is on my side on this one…as much as the situation calls for it, at least."

"And there's probably nothing left of Stone's lab anymore, so no one can investigate the place." Taki said, taking another drink of his tea.

"The only evidence of the whole affair is Emma and Ikatsui; and there's no way in Hell we're telling anyone about them." Kurai agreed.

"You're wrong; you have all of Stone's files on your data pad. If it's seized, everyone is in grave danger. I suggest giving the data to your grandfather's Shadows as soon as you possibly can and deleting it for good." Ko said cryptically.

"Good point; I'll give this to Ichi before tomorrow and be done with it. I don't have any use for this creepy stuff." Kurai agreed, looking at her data pad.

"And the coordinates she gave you, and the messages she sent…" Taki reminded.

"Those too. As far as anyone outside this ship is concerned, we were settling a grudge with an old enemy. Nothing else happened while we were away." his friend said, and began deleting the information from the ship's computers.

"Right." they both agreed, nodding as Kurai finished deleting the data and began contacting Ichi.

_Two days later…_

"Okay, we're here. Everybody be cool." Kurai said, as the ship entered the docking bay.

Kurai had successfully given Stone's data to Ichi for processing, and had deleted the original off her data pad. Now there was no evidence of the events of the pervious few months, save what the three had in their own memories. For good measure, the location of Pluvia was also erased, an extra step in ensuring the safety of their friends.

The ship docked successfully, and the three friends disembarked, intent on getting some rest aboard the mothership for a few weeks before heading off again. It would be nice to be able to walk around in the halls again, even if they were all the same; at least it was better than the same few rooms over and over again.

"So, what do we do? Do we go to the Elder and tell him we're here?" Taki asked.

"My suggestion would be to do just that and get it over with." Ko said firmly.

"I'm with Ko on this one. Elder Yeyinde won't be too happy if we say hi to everyone else first. Let's go find him and be done with it. Remember our story; old enemy, settling a grudge, nothing more, okay?" Kurai asked, looking at her friends.

"Agreed." they responded, and the three began treading through the halls looking for their Elder.

Walking through room after room, they saw that nothing much had changed since the last time they'd been there. Hunters roamed here and there, showing off their trophies and weapons and bragging about past hunts. After a couple of hours, they became rather frustrated at not finding their target. They'd looked in dining hall, two of the kehrites, the lounges, and had even went to see if he was in his chambers, but they were locked and there was no response either way on whether he was in or not.

"Ugh! Let's just go get something to eat! I'm tired of looking for that–ooph!" Taki was saying, but bumped into something, making him jump back.

"Do any of you Oomans watch where you are going?" a familiar voice asked.

"You!" Kurai exclaimed, looking at the arbitrator.

The Arbitrator Reiki was standing in the middle of the hallway, wearing a rather basic outfit of black loincloth, boots and cape, and holding a combi-stick in one hand. At first he seemed to be alone, but a moment later, someone appeared at his side, also holding a combi-stick.

"Elder Yeyinde!" Ko said, looking from one high-ranking male to the other.

"Oh, hey; we need to talk to you." Taki said to the Yautja, looking around the Arbitrator.

"And I'm surprised you are here to talk at all. I believe I heard something about your bombs being detonated recently? All three at the same time?" the Elder questioned.

"Uh, yeah… We've actually been looking for you to talk to you about the exact same thing…" Kurai began.

"Pardon my rudeness, Arbitrator Reiki; but what are you doing here? I thought the Bad Blood situation would have been taken care of before now." Ko said quietly, keeping his eyes lowered.

"It was taken care of…quite thoroughly, I might add. The reason I was called here was…because of you three, actually. Three bombs going off at once is not a common occurrence, and I was asked to examine the situation in case foul play was involved. It seems, however, that you three are unharmed. I await an explanation on the situation, and it had best be to my satisfaction. Surely you didn't detonate your bombs to see how big a hole you could make, or some such thing?" the Arbitrator asked, sounding dangerous.

"N-no… We were going to explain the situation to the Elder, actually…" Kurai said quietly.

"Then do." Elder Yeyinde said, crossing his arms.

"Well, you see…" the human said, before taking a deep breath and beginning the abridged version of the group's tale.

"Okay, there was this crazy woman named Irene Stone. She had this grudge against my family because one of my…friends…killed her brother, so she used one of her…employees…to infiltrate my family's bodyguards and gain some personal information to use against my friends and me. After stalking us for awhile, she threatened my family and friends and kidnapped Taki. We went to get him and destroyed Stone's hideout, which is why all of our bombs went off at the same time."

"You needed three?" the Arbitrator asked.

"It was a big hideout…and we _really_ hated that woman." Taki said quickly.

"And why did you go after your friend? We do not avenge our clan members when they are taken in battle." the Elder said.

"Not in normal hunts, no; but this person was a complete lunatic…a Bad Blood, if you will." Kurai explained, using something they could relate to.

"A Bad Blood, you say? Well then, why wasn't I or another Arbitrator informed of the situation? If this person was endangering or dishonoring this clan, it is your duty to let someone know." Arbitrator Reiki replied.

"With all due respect, Arbitrator; this had nothing to do with Yautja or this clan. This was a grudge between an unstable individual and my family and friends. I simply would.._could_…not allow her to tread upon ten generations of my kin and sixteen years of friendship. My relatives would never forgive me if I let this woman pass unpunished, and neither would Taki. I feel no regret or remorse for my actions, and I will not apologize for them. I did what I had to do, Elder, and if you have to punish me for it, I understand your position."

"You keep speaking of your family; is there something that I should know?" Arbitrator Reiki asked.

"Kurai is from an ancient and noble family. There have, as I understand it, been a great many warriors produced from that line." Ko explained quickly.

"Oh? How intriguing… And yet you turned down an opportunity to come study from me?"

"You _what_?" Elder Yeyinde burst out, looking at the smaller being.

"Yes, please forgive my earlier rudeness on the subject, but I had little time for such things. My answer was not out of disrespect; I can see that you have obtained a wealth of knowledge of combat and strategy." the human said, and meant it.

"So you are not totally lacking in manners… Still, I cannot overlook the fact that you were reckless with your equipment… You caused quite a bit of unrest here, you know… I could sentence you to ten years as an Eta, if I wished it." he warned, and all three of them felt a slight pang of apprehension.

"However, seeing as your actions did not seem to adversely affect this clan, I will leave any disciplinary matters to your Elder. The three of you seem to be quite a topic aboard this ship…I hope it stays a _positive_ topic."

With this, the Arbitrator nodded in acknowledgment to Elder Yeyinde and took his leave, his cape swinging rather majestically behind him.

"Is it true? Did you turn down Arbitrator Reiki's invitation to study under him?" the Elder asked, as soon as the other Yautja was out of hearing range.

"Yeah…" Kurai replied slowly.

"Foolish child! Do you not realize what an honor it was to be chosen for such a thing?"

"I'm sorry, Elder; but I was busy trying to save my friend! Besides, I'm pretty proficient in combat; even you've admitted it!"

"It's true; she's not exactly a novice." Taki agreed.

"No, but a true warrior never gives up the opportunity to be trained by someone better! Do you realize the things he could have taught you? You couldn't have even considered it? You're not lazy, Ooman, and you're not stupid; why give up such a chance?"

"Because my friend needed me, and nothing was going to stop me from helping him. I will never walk away when someone I care about is in trouble." the human answered simply.

"That is… That is…venerable. I cannot deny that I am impressed with your fealty, Ooman…" the Elder sighed.

"Then may we go now?" Taki asked.

"You may…but I will have to think of something as punishment for you three. Perhaps not the ten years of being an Eta…but you must learn that you cannot have run of this place. Go about your business, and I will contact you with your punishment."

"Nice." Kurai said, and the three of them departed.

"Man, that reminded me of high school! You know, when we'd pull some shit and manage, somehow, to get out of it?" Taki reminisced.

"Yeah, like the time we incited that teachers' riot?" Kurai agreed.

"You two weren't supervised much, were you?" Ko asked, shaking his head.

"Nope." the humans said together, slapping each other five.

"Okay, I'm going back to my room to sleep. All this tale-telling makes me tired." Taki said, as they passed a lounge.

"All right, I'll wake you up when it's time to eat." Kurai said, as Taki broke off from the pair.

"Thanks!" he replied, before disappearing down a hall.

"Then, it will be business as usual with us? I mean, are we going to pretend the last few months never happened?" Ko asked.

"Might as well. Why dwell on the sucky stuff? Anyway, I'm tired, too; I'm going to bed." Kurai said.

"Oh, then I will-" the hunter began, starting to veer left toward one of the training rooms.

"You're coming with me." the human stated firmly, grabbing his arm.

"Or I could come with you." he muttered, giving his Yautja smile.


	47. Chapter 47

**Disclaimer – Don't own it!**

**Chapter 47 (sort of)**

**And now I take the time to answer some of your questions! Since I didn't get that many this time, these might give you an idea of what I'm looking for! I still need three more chapters of Q&A's for a grand total of 50 chapters!**

**From:** Dilemmas in the Sand

**Q:** Is that the end? I kept wondering when the Yautja clan would find out about Makoto and them.

**A:** No, it is hardly the end of this tale! I do plan on having select members of the clan find out about the hive in later installments, but for now, they'll remain a secret.

**From: **Chaos Dragon-Fox

**Q: **What about a chapter relating the whole story to Ne'Renh? That could be some  
sort of 'bonus/omake' feature.

**A: **I might make that a story all on its own, actually. I've been thinking about the same thing, and it does set the characters up for some good one-liners.

**From:** drycos

**Q:** After the 50th chapter will you be continuing the series? I whould love to  
see more of makoto (curse my memory if I got that wrong) and the rest of the  
gang?

**A:** Yes, I will absolutely continue on with the story! I have a lot of new ideas for subsequent installments that I'd like to get started on!

**From:** drycos

**Q:** If not this series will you be doing any more alien and or AVP-related  
series in the future?

**A:** As above, I will be continuing the fic, but it may be awhile before the next one comes out. I have a District 9 story in-progress, and I have an original story over on FictionPress (my username is the same there as it is here; it makes things less complicated that way), if anyone wants to check it out. If you like yaoi, you might like it.


	48. Chapter 48

**Disclaimer – Don't own it!**

**Chapter 48 (sort of)**

**From: **Kamil the Awesome

**Q: **Will there be any enemies similar to Irene Stone in the future installments?

**A: **Firstly, though Stone is indeed dead, our heroes' dealings with her aren't yet done! Yes; there will be another villain in a later installment that will make Stone look like nothing, if I can arrange a plot around it.

**From: **Izs

**Author's Note:** Take a lesson from this one!

**Q: **Addie seemed to have a very strong connection to the 2 new hybrids and with her very strong desire to have children of her own is there some possible  
conflict between her and Shisome regarding the upbringing of them?

**A: **She's only that way with Emma, as Ikatsui is physically-and mentally-about Taki and Kurai's age. She just finds Emma cute, and with nothing else to occupy her maternal instincts, the hybrid gets the full brunt of them. The only real conflict could be between Adelicia and Emma herself.

**Q: **Although it doesn't seem like it does Kurai regret having to turn down training with the Arbitrator and will this be touched on a bit more in future?

**A: **Actually, I do intend to have her go and train with him, but this will probably be kind of like _Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories_; an in-between story that links the two, but isn't a big part of the sequel. Even Kurai's not too stubborn to recognize an opportunity when it presents itself.

**Q: **With Irene Stone dead where can you see others coming forward with hostile  
intent?

**A: **Absolutely! And I'll tell everyone right now that the next threat will not be another human!

**Q: **I may have missed it but did all Makoto and the others manage to destroy all the eggs the crew that brought Addie into the picture or is there another  
hive being built up hidden somewhere on the planet?

**A: **Yes, all the eggs Stone sent with the crew were destroyed, though a Xeno war might be in the future.


	49. Chapter 49

**Disclaimer – Don't own it.**

**As of today, I have an announcement: I will no longer be writing chapters for this or any other story…**

…**that are more than three pages long. Anyone here who has ever written a ten-page chapter knows that it gets boring and time-consuming after awhile, and I have other stuff to work on. Please don't worry; the chapters will keep coming, they'll just be shorter. I originally intended for them to be three pages, but things just happened and they got long.**

**Chapter 50**

**It's the end of the line, peoples!**

**It's been a great run, I've got to tell you, and it's been a real pleasure writing for all of you. Even though this might sound final, this is, as I've said before, not the end of Kurai and co.'s adventures. It is, however, the end of this particular series. By this I mean, I've always thought of the series as sort of like an anime, with different arcs. This arc-the Stone arc-is over, so the next one can start soon. I couldn't have done anything without support from you guys!**

**From:** raptor125

**Q:** Is there goanna be anything between Jim and Lee?

**A:** Yeah, there will be in later chapters, but I sort of had to put that one on the backburner for awhile…my bad ;(

**Uh, apparently there's no more questions, so it it's going to end here, I guess…**


End file.
